Obscenity lawsuit against Egyptian actor Rania Youssef dropped

Rania Youssef. Pic/AFP

Egyptian actor Rania Youssef can now breath a sigh of relief as the lawsuit filed against her has been dropped. The actor has been lucky enough to steer clear of a legal imbroglio over the see-through dress she wore at the Cairo International Film Festival.

The 45-year-old was set to go on trial in January after a group of lawyers complained about her black dress - which revealed her legs - to Egypt's chief prosecutor. If convicted, she could have faced five years in prison.

However, the Egyptian lawyers, in a statement to Arabic outlet El Watan News, announced that because Youssef apologised, they were withdrawing the charges, reports People Magazine.

After receiving backlash, Youssef had taken to social media late Saturday to clarify her stance and said she "probably miscalculated" when she chose to wear the dress. "It was the first time that I wore it and I did not realise it would spark so much anger," she wrote, adding, "I reaffirm my commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society."

Earlier this year, one of the country's most famous singers, Sherine Abdel-Wahab, was sentenced to six months in prison in February for joking about the cleanliness of the River Nile. However, she was acquitted on appeal in May. According to various reports, celebrities in Egypt are being targeted under the authoritarian rule of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

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