Lawsuit Against Egyptian Actress Rania Youssef For Her Revealing Attire Has Been Dropped

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Egyptian actress, Rania Youssef, was facing up to five years in jail after she wore a sheer dress to a film festival in Cairo. The lawsuit against Youssef was filed by lawyer Amro Abdelsalam and Samir Sabri and claimed that her outfit violated strict laws against public indecency in Egypt.

The lawsuit claimed that Youssef’s outfit created an “incitement to debauchery,” according to the New York Times. In addition, Sabri claimed that the dress “did not meet societal values, traditions, and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular.”

The dress in question was a sheer black number that showed off the entirety of Youssef’s legs underneath the revealing skirt.

After news of the lawsuit erupted, Rania issued a statement via her Twitter account apologizing for her dress choice.

“I probably miscalculated when I chose to wear this dress. It was the first time that I wore it and I did not realize it would spark so much anger,” she wrote.

“I reaffirm my commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society.”

However, fans felt that the lawsuit was an overreaction to Youssef’s attire. As a result of this, many people called for authorities to drop the charges against the actress.

https://twitter.com/dennisjansen/status/1069774294119530496

Now, it appears those involved in the court case have listened to the outcry and the lawsuit has been dropped according to People. Originally, the trial had been set for January and, if Youssef was convicted, she could have faced up to five years behind bars. However, a statement from the lawyers was released on Monday explaining that the lawsuit against Youssef would be dropped.

Huffington Post revealed details of the statement that was originally posted to the Arabic outlet El Watan News.

“First, when we took legal action against the artist Rania Youssef, this was not for the purpose of personal gains or benefits,” the statement reads.

“Nor was it intended to deprive her person, but was out of concern for public order and ethics and sensing the danger facing the Egyptian society as a result of that incident, committed by a popular public figure with an audience that will try to imitate them, which may lead to the spread of chaos and the violation of standards of values and ethics.”

The statement also clarifies that an apology issued by Youssef for her dress choice played a part in the charges being dropped.

“The artist Rania Youssef presented an apology to the Egyptian family and society for this incident and its affirmation that it was not intentional, that it was placed in circumstances beyond its control and that the behavior was wrong and unintentional. We decided to waive the legal measures taken against it.”

While this has been a positive outcome for Rania, lawsuits against celebrities for “outfits and behavior that goes against public morals” are fairly common in Egypt, according to People.