Overview

• Linda Martino was arrested at Cairo airport in mid-June on charges of offending public morality and incitement to vice.
• A Cairo court has ordered her pretrial detention extended by 15 days.
• Egyptian officials assert she holds local citizenship and have denied Italy consular access or clarification of her nationality status.
• Martino has garnered over two million Instagram followers in Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s government has stepped up enforcement of public decency laws.
• Her case follows a broader crackdown that has seen at least five other belly dancers detained under similar charges in the past year.