Egypt’s prosecution calls citizens not to circulate videos of crimes, but submit them to authorities

CAIRO – 6 November 2021: Egyptian Public Prosecution called on citizens who possess videos on any crime to submit them to concerned authorities, without publishing on social media sites to preserve proper conduct of investigations.

The spread of the Ismailia crime video, in which a young man slaughtered another and separated his head from his body among the gatherings of citizens in one of the streets of Ismailia, caused controversy, confusion and false rumors about the crime and its causes, given the ugly scene that the video carried.

This prompted the Public Prosecution to call on everyone to not to circulate video clips documenting a crime because of the harsh scenes they might carry, and because the jurisdiction of viewing and examining physical evidences  goes to law enforcement agencies alone.

The Public Prosecution also called on everyone not to discuss details of investigations with the accused, or what is said about his mental health or his motives as publishers of these details will face legal responsibility, and the act also undermines the sanctity of private lives and harms integrity of investigations.