Egyptian actress denies assault in Dubai

Dubai - "I respectfully requested the family to stop filming me," the actress said.

Published: Thu 12 Jul 2018, 12:21 AM

Updated: Fri 13 Jul 2018, 7:20 PM

By
Sherouk Zakaria

Egyptian actress Zeina denied earlier allegations about her assault against an American family during her stay in Dubai.
In a statement she released on her official Facebook page, the actress said she was at a restaurant in Atlantis when she noticed someone was filming her.
"Although [filming someone without consent] is a crime in the UAE since it invades privacy, I respectfully requested the family to stop filming me, but I was surprised when they insulted my sister and I in a very exaggerated reaction," the actress wrote.
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She added that she reported the matter to the police immediately and requested confiscation of the footage that recorded what had happened. "The other party was actually detained an entire night for investigation and an order was issued to prohibit them from leaving the country until investigations are over," she said.
Zeina added that the family tried to contact her several times to apologise, but she rejected their request and insisted to keep the matter with the police.
"I have full trust in the justice and integrity of the authorities investigating the matter to make sure I get my full legal rights," she added.
Earlier, a 47-year-old American tourist reported that the actress assaulted his wife and 11-year-old daughter when she thought the girl was filming her without consent.
He told the police he had heard the actress screaming at his daughter in Arabic when they were at a restaurant in Atlantis. "I didn't know who she was, so I approached her to see what was going on and to also tell her that my daughter didn't speak Arabic."
"I then told her it was inappropriate to yell like that in public, but she shifted to English and cursed us all," the tourist alleged.
The family then headed to the American consulate, which referred them to legal consultant Hassan Elhais from Al Rowad Advocates.
The lawyer advised the family to head to the Rashid Hospital for medical check-ups. The medical reports showed the family sustained bite marks, scratches and bruises.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com