Ahmed Bassam Zaki receives harshest possible sentence in online harassment trial

A Cairo economic court convicted Ahmed Bassam Zaki on Tuesday of misusing social media to harass two plaintiffs and sentenced him to three years in prison with hard labor.

This is the harshest sentence possible for harassment charges in a misdemeanor trial, lawyer Ahmed Ragheb, who is representing one of the plaintiffs, told Mada Masr. 

Zaki’s lawyers have filed an appeal on Tuesday’s sentencing, which will be heard on January 11, according to Ragheb. 

The sentencing was based on Article 76 of the Communications Law, which addresses the misuse of communications devices to harass others, as well as on Article 306 of the Penal Code on physical or digital harassment.

Hard labor as outlined in Egypt's Penal Code has not been enforced since 1960. The only difference is that hard labor prisoners receive less frequent family visitations than other prisoners.

Zaki is still midway through a criminal trial on charges including sexual assault, harassment and blackmail that could land him in prison for three to fifteen years. The next hearing in that trial is set for January 9. 

Dozens of accusations against Zaki, who is 22 years old, captured media attention last summer when they were published on the @assaultpolice Instagram account. The testimonies by men and women of blackmail, harassment, assault and rape triggered months-long discussions and testimonials about sexual violence around the country. Police arrested Zaki on July 6th. 

Separately, prosecutors on Tuesday charged seven men with assaulting a woman in a mob sexual attack in the city of Mit Ghamr earlier this month. After reporting the attack to the authorities, the victim received death threats and was subjected to a digital smear campaign pressuring her to drop the charges, according to rights groups who issued a joint press release urging the Public Prosecution to investigate the threats and cyberbullying.