Egyptian TV presenter sentenced to 3 years in prison over pregnancy remarks

david nganga

November 3, 2017 6:43 PM

According to the authorities, Doaa's ideas in the programme "threatened the fabric of Egyptian life."

An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to three years in jail after she discussed ways of becoming pregnant outside a conventional marriage.

According to BBC, Doaa Salah, a presenter on Al-Nahar TV, asked if her viewers had considered having sex before marriage and suggested a woman could marry briefly to have children before divorcing.

'"You simply need to have the money and then separate,'"she said, appearing on the episode entitled 'Buy a Man', aired in July, while wearing a fake baby bump.

She was charged and convicted of disclaiming public decency and ordered to pay 10,000 Egyptian pounds (£430) in compensation by a court in Cairo.

Sex before marriage is widely regarded as unacceptable in socially conservative Egypt.

During her appearance on the show, Salah suggested that a potential husband could be paid for taking part in a short-lived marriage, and also spoke about how sperm donation is an accepted method in Western countries, but not in Egypt.

Following the broadcast, she was suspended from her presenting job for three months, before legal action was taken against her.

The three-year sentence follows an initial verdict which is open to an appeal.

david nganga