An Egyptian woman was sentenced to three years in prison after a video depicting her touching the genitals of a monkey in a pet store went viral in October 2018. A court in Mansoura, Egypt, charged 25-year-old Basma Ahmed with “inciting debauchery” and “committing an obscene act in public,” according to the Daily Mail.
The video, which is no longer available in its full 90-second length, incited furious outcry online from the conservative Muslim country.
نشرة اخبار المحروسة … القبض على سيدة تحرشت بقرد فى الدقهلية بتهمة الفعل الفاحش وممارسة الرزيلة…. بس خلاص !!!
— just_Me! (@DKhamed) November 1, 2018
هو ينفع اى حاجة تتكتب مع الخبر ده؟؟
We’ve reached rock bottom people…. congratulations 😑😑😑
In court, Ahmed said that she was surprised by the reaction. Apart from being unaware that her friend had posted the video, she claimed that she was only tickling the monkey with no intention of sexual abuse.
However, the video above, when translated, reveals her to be laughing whilst spouting inappropriate comments aimed at the caged animal. Furthermore, according to Egyptian officials, Ahmed is a repeat offender, with this being her third time having been involved in a ‘public moral’ case.
What do you think? Would further investigation prove that Ahmed’s act was merely a friendly gesture to the animal, or is three years not long enough to prevent her from violating any more innocent monkeys? Let us know in the comments below!