Russia belly dancer arrested in Egypt over 'G-string' performance

A Russian belly dancer has been arrested in Egypt on charges of "inciting debauchery" over a racy outfit she wore during a recent performance.
2 min read
07 Feb, 2018
The arrest comes amid a 'morality' crackdown in Egypt [Instagram]

A Russian belly dancer has been arrested in Egypt on charges of "inciting debauchery" over a racy outfit she wore during a recent performance.

Ekaterina Andreeva, who goes by the stage name Johara, was arrested in Cairo on Tuesday after authorities accused her performing in a dancing outfit "without shorts", local daily al-Masry al-Youm  reported.

"Tourism police arrested Johara after they saw a video of the dancer wearing a revealing outfit in violation of standards that exposed the charms of her body without shorts," the report said.

"She also used her hand to point at sensitive parts of her body to stir up the passions of young people," it added.

Police later released the 31-year-old on bail after also charging her with working without a work permit.

A video of Andreeva performing at a Cairo nightclub has been widely shared on social media.

Foreign dancers, in particular Russian, have come to dominate the Egyptian traditional art of belly dancing, which is seen by many as a degrading profession.

The arrest comes amid a 'morality' crackdown in Egypt.

In December, a female pop singer was convicted of "inciting debauchery" and sentenced to two years in prison after appearing wearing lingerie in a raunchy music video.

The same month, a singer was charged for releasing a song that makes a pun on a common Arabic-language swear word.

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