CAIRO: Agouza misdemeanor court upheld Saturday a 6-month jail term and a 15,000 EGP ($1,966) fine previously handed down to Armenian-Russian belly dancer Safinaz for “insulting the Egyptian flag” while dancing, Youm7 reported.
In August 2014, the Armenian belly dancer was summoned by the Attorney-General over the Egyptian flag-inspired dancing costume she wore during a party in a Red Sea resort, Al Ahram reported.
“I danced with the flag to please the Egyptian people but I did not mean to offend them in any way,” Safinaz said in an interview with Al-Hayat TV in August adding that she wanted to make a gesture of love to Egypt.
Insulting the Egyptian flag is punishable by law according to a presidential decree issued in May, which states that insulting Egypt’s flag is punishable by up to a year in prison and 30,000 EGP ($4, 190) fine.