An Egyptian court sentenced a doctor and two hospital employees to two years in prison for humiliating a nurse by kneeling in front of a dog – and forcing the man to say hello.
The three men were also fined Egyptian pounds 100,000 (approximately US $ 6,300) each, which is available for appeal.
The case caused a stir in Egypt when a video showing the incident went viral after it was leaked last month. The outcry prompted the country’s chief prosecutor, Hamada El Sawy, to issue an arrest warrant for the three men and to order an investigation.
In September, prosecutors announced that the men had harassed the worker and abused power. Their behavior was a contempt for religion, officials said.
The three were also charged with “attacking Egyptian family values” and invading the nurse’s privacy when they posted the video online.
Although the men denied this, the investigation found that one of them leaked the video online to publicly humiliate the nurse.
The three men claimed the incident was a joke and that it was not their intention to humiliate the nurse. However, the investigation also found that this was not the first time they had mistreated the nurse.
When the three men were brought up for questioning in September, they confessed that the video was indeed real and that all of the acts depicted in it had taken place.
The confession was confirmed by the victim and a number of witnesses.
Mr. El Sawy said one of the men tried to evade arrest before he was arrested last month.
“While abusing their power and taking advantage of his weaknesses, the men’s intent was to mock and humiliate themselves,” he said.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced last month that the senior physician involved in the incident had been dismissed because of the incident.
Interviewed by a popular Egyptian talk show host later in September, the doctor claimed the whole incident was a joke and the nurse understood that everything he was supposed to do in the leaked video was a joke.
The nurse confirmed this during a phone call with the same host, despite saying that he did not agree to post the incident online for all to see. He said he regretted that the video was seen by his family.
Updated: October 10, 2021, 11:48 a.m.