Male dentist accused of sexually assaulting men in Egypt including celebrities detained

CAIRO – 28 January 2021: The Egyptian Public Prosecution ordered the detention of a male dentist for four days pending investigation on Wednesday on accusations of sexually assaulting five men. At least two celebrities are among the victims.

This comes as director-turned-singer Tameem Youness, known for his viral song “Salmonella,” and actor Abbas Aboul Hassan, who played the role of “Al-Gazzar” in the Egyptian movie “Mafia,” spoke on social media in August that they had been sexually assaulted by the aforementioned dentist.

The dentist faces accusations of indecent assault, which is less severe than rape, and of harassment. According to the Egyptian law, if proven guilty, the dentist can face from three to seven years in prison.

The prosecution said it arrested the defendant on Monday, interrogated him and showed him the technical evidence he faces. It added that it found on his phone other technical evidence that endorses the accusations.

The defendant said he is suffering from a “disturbance in sexual orientation" that did not affect his perception and awareness but pushed him to commit such act, the prosecution’s statement read.

Lawyer of Aboul Hassan, 56, told 90 Minutes program on Mehwar that the defendant harassed his client three times at different occasions, the earliest of which was 26 years ago.

Youness said he was 22 years old when the dentist forcefully gripped the famous singer’s genital organ and then denied that he did.

The identities of the other three victims in the case have not been officially uncovered.

In July, the Egyptian government ratified a draft law that guarantees the secrecy of testimonies made by victims of harassment, rape and sexual assault.

The law stipulates that violators, who uncover information about the victims or their testimonies, will be punished by imprisonment of no more than 6 months or a fine that does not exceed L.E. 500.

This came as part of the state’s keenness to maintain ethical principles at the time many victims are reluctant to report these crimes out of fear of harming their reputation.