The official Foreign Advice section of the UK’s profile on Egypt has updated its list of advice and suggestions to warn its citizens from expressing their negative opinions. ”Publicising strongly negative opinions about Egypt or making political comments, including about the President or security forces, can cause trouble with the authorities. In some cases, derogatory comments on social media have led to custodial sentences,” reads the advice from the official website. The page also features general advice concerning LGBT, street photography, alcohol consumption and observance of religion in Egypt. Earlier this month, the Egyptian Misdemeanor court sentenced Lebanese tourist Mona al-Mazbouh to eight years in prison for posting a Facebook video defaming Egypt, as stated by her lawyer on Reuters. The court’s decision will still be appealed on July 29. In an official statement, the 24 year old was charged with spreading “false rumors which aim to undermine society and attack religions” as she aggressively criticized the country, and described Egyptians as “beggars” and Egyptian women as “prostitutes”. Mazbouh added that her anger in the video was sparked by an incident of verbal harassment she experienced in Zamalek, an upscale neighborhood…
