A Cairo misdemeanours court sentenced lawyer and rights activist Ali Ayoub to three years in prison with hard labour and a fine of EGP 300,000 on Sunday after convicting him of insulting, defaming, and slandering Culture Minister Gihane Zaki.
The Hadayeq El-Qobba Misdemeanours Court issued the ruling in the second hearing of the case. The Public Prosecution had referred Ayoub to a criminal trial on charges of publishing false information and misleading claims concerning the minister’s personal life and financial integrity on social media.
The court also ordered temporary civil compensation of EGP 50,000 and the confiscation of the defendant’s mobile phone used in the case.
Lawyers representing Zaki told the court that the defendant had made “detailed confessions” to prosecutors. They affirmed that technical evidence confirmed that Ayoub had published inaccurate and defamatory online content that harmed the minister and her family’s reputation.
The case was filed under provisions of the Egyptian Penal Code and the 2018 law on combating information technology crimes, which criminalizes the dissemination of false or defamatory content through digital platforms.
During the session, the minister’s defence team highlighted her academic standing as an Egyptologist, noting she had received top international honours from France, Italy, and Japan. They described her career as “a model for future generations rather than a subject of defamation.”
Egypt: Cairo court sentences lawyer Ali Ayoub to three years for defaming culture minister
