The Brazilian influencer Malévola Alves and her friend Bruna Mercatelli were detained in Egypt over videos circulating online and, according to their defense, released on bail. Their lawyer, Jonatha Carvalho Matos, told Brazil’s news portal G1 on Wednesday. The two trans women had been taken into custody by authorities in the port city of Alexandria on Tuesday.
The Egyptian police accuse the two of making “sexually suggestive” gestures in the footage and of harassing people in public. The Interior Ministry said the two had been identified and arrested after the videos were published. They allegedly filmed and posted the content to boost views. The defense describes the case as an arrest for “obscene conduct” and says they are still trying to determine the specific charges filed against them.
The trans women may return to Brazil
“Malévola has paid her bail and her friend has as well, and if all goes well, they could be released later today,” Carvalho Matos said. “Both will face the proceedings while free and could therefore return to Brazil.” An Egyptian team of lawyers was on site to safeguard their rights. Media reports give different figures for the bail amount. Egyptian authorities initially did not officially confirm the bail or release. Later Brazilian media, citing the defense and Alves’ management, reported that the influencer had been released.
Even before the arrest was officially announced, Alves had addressed the situation in videos on social networks. She reported that police had taken her and her girlfriend to a police station in Alexandria and had held their passports for verification. Both are trans women, as the defense confirmed. According to Brazilian media, they were also asked about their gender identity at the station.
View this post on Instagram
Instagram | Malévola Alves on Instagram
|
The Brazilian Ministry of External Affairs said the embassy in Cairo is handling the case and providing consular assistance to the two and their families in Brazil, including legal counsel and mediation with local authorities. The defense stated that they intend to safeguard their physical integrity and rights and asked for restraint regarding unverified information.
Transphobic media reports in Egypt
As G1 reported, Egyptian media in their coverage highlighted Alves’s transgender status and spoke of “obscene videos.” One newspaper ran a transphobic headline claiming the influencer “was a man.” Alves, who has more than 1.4 million Instagram followers, is among Brazil’s best-known transgender women. On Wednesday, Mercatelli’s profile could not be reached.
In Egypt, acts that violate “family values” or “public morality” can be punished with imprisonment and hefty fines, even for foreigners. In recent years, influencers, especially women, have been detained on such charges, with some serving prison sentences. Homosexuality is not explicitly illegal in Egypt, but it is regularly pursued under laws against “debauchery.”
In 2020, Human Rights Watch criticized the Egyptian police and the National Security Authority for arbitrarily arresting queer people, holding them in inhumane conditions, and subjecting them to mistreatment including torture (TheColu.mn reported). The German Foreign Office explicitly warns that “Egyptian authorities also use dating apps to identify LGBTI people” (TheColu.mn reported). (mize)
