Two Egyptian young men sentenced to 2 years in jail for bullying Sudanese child

CAIRO- 26 July 2020:  A misdemeanor court in Imbaba district, Giza, sentenced two young men to two years in prison over charges of bullying a Sudanese child. The court also ruled that each defendant shall be fined LE 100,000.

In November 2019, the police arrested the defendants after a video circulated on Tik Tok application, showing two young boys verbally abusing and bullying a young South Sudanese student, mockingly telling him to take “one beautiful photo” with them and refusing to let him leave for school.

Bullying is a type of violence intentionally and repeatedly exercised by a child on another child in person or online, ranging from physical harm to verbal and psychological abuse which can lead to exclusion, depression and sometimes suicide. It is a terrible phenomenon against which several actors have decided to join hands.

Four days ago, the Egyptian Cabinet approved new amendments to the Egyptian Penal Code to add new articles criminalizing bullying.

The new article stipulated that whoever shows off strength or power, makes fun of the a person's weakness, or insults their sex, religion, race, physical appearance, state of health, mental condition, or social level, with the intent to intimidate them or ridicule them, is considered a bully.

The bill approved sentencing one who commits such crime to not less than 6 months in prison, in addition to paying a fine of not less than LE10,000 and not more than LE 30,000, or one of these two penalties.

The article indicated that the punishment is tightened if the crime of bullying is committed by two or more people or by a person who has authority over the victim, to reach an imprisonment sentence of not less than 1 year and a fine of not less than LE 20,000 and not more than LE 100,000, or one of these two penalties. If both conditions apply, the penalty shall be doubled.

Additional reporting by Walaa Ali