Al-Zawya al-Hamra Misdemeanor Court will hold the second session Monday of the trial of Salafi preacher Abdallah Badr, who is accused of defaming actress Elham Shaheen on the Islamist satellite channel Al-Hafiz.
Shaheen had filed a lawsuit against Badr on charges of libel and defamation. However, Badr said that his words during the show were a description of all actors and not defamation.
Shaheen’s lawyers called for imposing a harsh penalty on Badr, saying he had accused her of indecency.
They added that the evidence submitted to court, which includes video records for Badr accusing Shaheen, proves that he reiterated his words against Shaheen in several TV shows.
The lawyers also demanded that Badr be fined LE10,000 as compensation.
Shaheen’s defense team said her movies were approved by the censor, adding that she has received more than 70 awards for her work.
Meanwhile, party newspaper Al-Wafd quoted Nabeeh al-Wahsh, Badr’s lawyer, as saying that the censorship of artistic works law includes 10 items, and that if they were applied, all actors would be imprisoned. He said the law bans the filming of "vice" or showing the naked human body.
Edited translation from MENA
