Earlier this year, a Lebanese woman was detained in Egypt after calling out sexual harassment in the country in a video that ultimately went viral.
Months later, Mona el-Mazbouh has been released from prison. On Thursday, her lawyer confirmed that she has departed Egypt after her sentence was suspended and reduced to one year.
According to her lawyer, el-Mazbouh went back to her home country after paying a fine of 10,700 Egyptian pounds ($598,) according to The Washington Post.
In June, el-Mazbouh was arrested at Cairo International Airport on charges of "insulting Egyptians" in a video uploaded to her Facebook account.
The 24-year-old was then sentenced to eight years in prison in July on charges of "spreading false rumors that would harm society, attacking religion, and public indecency," according to Reuters.
In the footage that got Mazbouh in trouble, she details her experience with sexual harassment while vacationing in Cairo, a place that was >named "the worst megacity" for women in 2017.
She referred to Egyptians as the "dirtiest people on earth." She also called Egypt "the country of pimps ... the country of beggars." She also criticized the country's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
"You deserve what Sisi is doing to you, I hope God sends you someone more oppressive than Sisi," she said.
"She should never have been arrested or tried," writes Egyptian feminist Mona Eltahawy
Not the first case of its kind
In May, Egyptian authorities detained activist Amal Fathy after posting a video on social media criticizing the government for "failing to protect women against sexual harassment and over worsening living conditions."
Fathy was arrested "on charges of inciting to overthrow the ruling system and publishing lies," according to numerous media reports.
Sexual harassment is a major issue in Egypt
Sexual harassment continues to be an >issue millions of Egyptian women face on a daily basis.
According to a report released in 2013 by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 99.3 percent of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
A recent study conducted by UN women and Promundo, a Brazilian organization campaigning for gender equality, also revealed that around 43 percent of men in Egypt actually believe that women enjoy getting attention and have no problem with being harassed.
Others blame women for inciting the assaults they endure, claiming that victims who wear tight clothing are "asking for harassment."
Egyptian law considers sexual harassment a crime punishable by law. If a woman takes her harasser to court and he is convicted, he can face a minimum of six months in prison. If a harasser is found to be a habitual offender, he could potentially face up to five years in prison.