Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm have been charged with ‘violating family values and principles and setting up and managing online accounts to commit this crime’.
In July 2020, they were sentenced to two years in prison and fined 300,000 EGP (approximately $ 19,000 USD) each.
They and three other people involved in the case have now been acquitted, Ahram Online said.
Mawada Eladhm, who is in her early twenties, had 3.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.6 million followers on Instagram, and gained notoriety for posting lip-syncing and dance videos.
Haneen Hossam, a university student in archeology, had 1.2 million followers on TikTok and was arrested a few days after she posted a video encouraging women to post live videos and talk to strangers via the short video sharing platform Likee.
She denied the charges and said her videos were out of context.
Mahmmed Sammer, Hossam’s lawyer, told local media Youm7 that her mother fainted over the acquittal, while Hossam and Eladhm screamed with joy.
Eladhm’s father, Fathy Rashad, told reporters after the court that his daughter was “crushed by oppression and sadness” and would need psychological treatment, Youm7 reports.
The other three accused were charged with helping one of the girls evade arrest, concealing evidence of the crime and publishing material to influence public opinion on the case. One was also charged with possession of illegal software to facilitate social media activity.
Reporting contributed by Mohammed Tawfeeq in Atlanta.