A Cairo court has sentenced sexual offender Ahmed Bassam Zaki to three years in prison over sexually assaulting minors, blackmailing them, and using means of communication and social media to deliberately harass them. The defendant can still appeal the ruling. Zaki, a 21-year-old student, was arrested in July after the public prosecution received a complaint from a woman against him. The woman, according to the complaint first received by the National Council of Women, accused Zaki of blackmailing her in November 2016 in an attempt to force her to have sex with him. According to a prosecution's statement on 1 September, Zaki is accused of sexually assaulting three girls under the age of 18 years old and threatening them. The statement added that Zaki is accused of sexually harassing two of the victims, taking photos of one of the victims while kissing her without her consent. Egypt has been cracking down on sex crimes, arresting several suspects accused on social media of being sexual predators. The government has also passed laws stiffening jail sentences and fines for sexual offenders. In July, Egypt's cabinet approved a bill proposed by the justice ministry to keep the identity of sex crime victims confidential.
