Mona Iraqi who was jailed for defaming men at Cairo bath house is acquitted

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Mona Iraqi has been acquitted of all charges despite refusing to apologise

In December Iraqi was sentenced to six months in jail and fined EGP10,000 ($1,277; €1,207) by a Cairo court for defamation and spreading false news.

This week the Old Cairo Misdemeanour Court accepted the appeal of controversial TV presenter Mona Iraqi reversing her six-month prison sentence and EGP 10,000 fine.

The charge was orginally issued in December 2014, after Iraqi filmed an anti-vice police unit as it raided a Ramses bath house, with the TV show accusing the men filmed of attending a “homosexual brothel”.

Iraqi and the programme’s cameramen filmed the police arresting the defendants and taking them semi-nude to the police station.

It was widely believed that Iraqi “tipped off” the police.

Iraq said on her personal Facebook page that she will respond to all media personnel who criticised her. She republished the videos of the arrests and sad “this is the evidence of my innocence”.

Several of the men involved in the case have spoken out to say they have received rejection, ridicule and abuse from both strangers and loved ones. One victim even attempted to burn himself to death because of the repercussions for being named in the lawsuit.

Despite leaving Al-Qahera Wal-Nas and the cancelation of her programme, Iraqi moved to another privately owned channel, Al-Mehwar, where she hosts another investigative show called “Attention!”

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