Shalimar Sharbatly is accused of directing insult and defamation statements against Hala Sedky. Samah El-Saeed republished the content on her personal account.

The Egyptian Economic Court issued a ruling sentencing artist Shalimar Sharbatly to one month in prison with labor, over accusations of insulting and defaming actress Hala Sedky on social media. The case was filed by Sedky before the court and also included another defendant named Samah El-Saeed.

The court ruled in person against Shalimar Sharbatly with one month in prison with labor, while sentencing the second defendant, Samah El-Saeed, in absentia with the same penalty. Both were ordered to pay a bail of 20,000 EGP each, fined 10,000 EGP, and jointly obliged to pay interim civil compensation of 50,000 EGP in favor of Hala Sedky.

Case details and the complaint

The case began with an official report submitted by counselor Sherif Hafez, Hala Sedky’s lawyer, to the Public Prosecutor, accusing the defendants of insulting and defaming his client during an appearance by one of them in a podcast episode on social media platforms.

The lawyer attached digital evidence and documents he said supported the allegations, leading to the complaint being registered under No. 82667 complaints at the Public Prosecutor’s Office, before being referred to the North Giza prosecution for investigation.

Technical investigation by internet crimes unit

During investigations, the prosecution ordered a technical review of the episode through the Cybercrime Department. The report concluded that the account used to publish the episode was verified (blue tick) and belonged to Shalimar Sharbatly, while the second defendant reshared the content via her personal account.

Hala Sedky’s statements were heard during the investigation, while Sharbatly’s defense denied all accusations, insisting she did not intend to insult the actress.

Charges and referral details

The Public Prosecution charged both defendants with public defamation of Hala Sedky through Facebook, by publishing claims that—if proven—would harm her reputation and social standing, including statements affecting honor and dignity.

Sedky’s lawyer requested interim civil compensation of 500,001 EGP before the court referred the case to the fourth economic misdemeanor circuit for further consideration.