Egypt: Stop Using ‘Family Values’ to Criminalize Women on TikTok

Skyline International for Human Rights condemns the escalating campaign of arrests and prosecutions by Egyptian authorities against digital content creators, particularly women on platforms like TikTok.

This crackdown, carried out under the pretext of protecting “public morals” and “family values,” constitutes a targeted and disproportionate attack on the rights and freedom of expression of women in Egypt.

The government suppresses speech by weaponizing the overly broad and draconian Cybercrime Law No. 175 of 2018. Under this law, Article 25 criminalizes vague offenses such as “assaulting Egyptian family values” and “indecent public acts.” These vague charges grant the Egyptian government sweeping power to police online content and punish women for their expression.

A series of cases exposes this pervasive pattern of judicial persecution. For example, on October 29, 2025, blogger and TikToker “Suzy El-Urduneya” was sentenced to one year in prison and a 100,000 EGP fine for allegedly using “obscene language” during a live broadcast. This judicial severity is reflected in other rulings: on November 28, 2025, the judgment against “Umm Makka” was upheld, resulting in a six-month suspended sentence and a 100,000 EGP fine. Even earlier, on September 13, 2025, Marwa Youssry (“Ibnat Mubarak”) was sentenced to two years in prison. Furthermore, authorities arrested Aliyaa Qamroon on August 2, 2025, confiscating her digital content; she was later released on bail. These cases make the state’s intent clear. The aim is to enforce a rigid moral code that polices women’s very presence and speech online.

The Egyptian government is also pressuring platforms to become partners in censorship. Officials have boasted that recent meetings with TikTok led to the removal of over 2.9 million videos deemed to violate “public morals.” This strategy deliberately merges moral surveillance with security prosecution, closing one of the last remaining spaces for independent expression in Egypt.

These actions violate Egypt’s legal obligations. The use of ill-defined accusations like “assaulting family values” contravenes the principle of legality enshrined in Article 95 of the Constitution. The crackdown severely undermines the right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by Article 65 of the Constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The state’s disproportionate targeting of women further violates fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination.

We call on the Egyptian authorities to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release all content creators detained for their online expression, including those charged under vague “family values” clauses.
2. Repeal Article 25 of the Cybercrime Law and all similarly vague provisions to comply with international human rights standards of legality, necessity, and proportionality.
3. Cease all judicial and security harassment against content creators, especially women, and end the use of law enforcement for moral policing and controlling public discourse.