Rania Youssef Dress Controversy: Lawyers Drop Charges Following Actress' Instagram Apology

The charges against Rania Youssef, the Egyptian actress who has been accused of incitement to debauchery and public obscenity for wearing a sheer black dress on the red carpet at the 2018 Cairo International Film Festival, have been dropped. The lawyers withdrew the charges and explained it through a statement that was published on El Watan News on Monday.

The statement was signed by lawyers Wahid al-Kilani, Hamido Jameel al-Prince and Amr Abdel Salam. They decided to forego legal measures because Youssef has apologized for wearing the controversial gown.

“The artist Rania Youssef presented an apology to the Egyptian family and society for this incident and its affirmation that it was not intentional, that it was placed in circumstances beyond its control and that the behavior was wrong and unintentional,” the lawyers statement read, according to Huffington Post. “We decided to waive the legal measures taken against it.”

The lawyers claimed that they only took legal action against Youssef out of concern for ethics and public order. They were concerned that Youssef’s actions would be imitated and believe that it will spread chaos as well as the violation of the standards of ethics and values, especially in Egypt.

They also affirmed their full respect for the art and the artists. However, they reiterated that it only constitutes a crime punishable by law if it is deliberately committed. Aside from this, they called upon public figures to always be mindful of their behavior as role models especially for the young men and women in Egypt.

Youssef’s sparkly, sheer black dress features a bodysuit and a lace overlay. It showed off her legs, as well as some parts of her chest area. It caused a stir on the red carpet and was deemed too racy. She issued a statement on her Instagram account about it.

“I wanted to state that I did not mean to appear in a manner that would anger a lot of those who found the dress to be inappropriate,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I might have miscalculated because I wore that dress for the first time and I never expected that it would cause so much anger,” Youssef continued. “The opinions of designers and fashion specialists often influence the choice of clothing, and they might have taken into account the fact that it was an international event.”

Youssef is known for her roles in TV including “El Hag Metwali's Family,” “Hekayat Beneeshha” “Ahl Cairo,” “Moga Harra” “Neeran Sadeeqa” and “Alekhwa.” She also appeared on “Afrah AlQoba” and “Wakkelna Walla.”