Cairo University, one of the top universities in Egypt and the Middle East, could have one of its Professors facing potential sexual harassment and blackmail charges.
In statements made to DMC TV Egypt (which is a Satellite TV Channel in Egypt), Cairo University’s President Mohamed El-Khesht, referred to Professor of Mass Communication, Yaseen Lasheen, to General Prosecution on allegations of sexual harassment and blackmail of a woman in his office.
Professor Lasheen holds a PhD from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Cairo University. He is a famed lecturer at the University in the Mass Communication Department and could now be accused of sexual extortion, harassment, bribery, and blackmail. If the accusations turn out to be true and he is found guilty on those charges, then the professor could head to lifetime prison punishment as per the Egyptian Court Code of Laws.
A source, who has asked to remain anonymous, told Elwatan News that Professor Lasheen had allegedly asked his students to visit his coffee shop, which is located near the University, in a neighborhood called “Al Dokki”, so they could pass on his course.
According to the same source, Mr. Lasheen is known to accept bribes and gifts from students. She has also stated that there were too many complaints from other female students at the University accusing him of harassments, immoral language, and maintaining an unprofessional attitude while speaking to them inside and outside the University campus’.
A third-year female student identified as N.H. declared to Elwatan news that Lasheen was always trying to call her asking for a chance to come across his personal residence. The student mentioned that she was always avoiding Lasheen due to his ruthless and crummy reputation in the University and that he was famous for asking expensive gifts and bribes before he would pass students. However, there were many students in the university that could not afford this type of extortion and, subsequently, failed the course.
Alleged audio of University Professor harassing a girl.
A leaked 3-minute audio-recording went viral on Facebook, in which Lasheen’s voice is allegedly heard. A man is heard asking an anonymous girl to sign a declaration letter, mentioning her name and her ID number at the University, and that she was in his private office by her own will, offering herself to the professor, asking for money, and clothing. However, in another 28-seconds audio-recording, Lasheen asked the girl to get naked and be filmed under threat.
These audio files were released by “Nader Bakr” on his Facebook account. So far, he is the only source who has managed to leak those recordings. On his Facebook account, Nader said that Lasheen hasn’t yet received any letters of allegations accusing him of these crimes. He escaped to the north coast of Egypt, while his lawyer is handling the case, and they are seeking a libel case.
Moreover, the anonymous woman was found not to be a student at the University, but instead, she is actually an intern employed at Lasheen Newspaper, a single-parent, and is responsible for two dependents, a boy, and a girl. In the meantime, she is facing many threats from Lasheen’s lawyer.
According to Mr. Bakr’s Facebook account, the family of the anonymous girl is now trying to sort out the case with the police, as they are trying to file a court case against Lasheen. The police captain has promised them justice, but they are still worried and afraid from the scandal.
The source “Nader Bakr” also said that he knew someone who knows the girl, but no further information will be announced about the anonymous girl. Some other sources related to “Nader Bakr” have mentioned that Lasheen has very important relatives in the government that include police officers and judges, and those relatives have been supporting Lasheen until now.
Social Media activists attacked Lasheen’s leaked audio rigorously, commenting and sharing the recorded audio mentioning that there are numerous similar incidents in the University over the past years from other adjunct professors who were also asking bribes from the students, but nothing went viral before and nothing has been said ever since.
Hence, activists and Cairo University students on Facebook and Twitter have decided to start activating and sharing the Hashtag: “Punish_Yassen_Lasheen”.
Professor Gehan Youssef, the Dean of the Mass Communication Department, stated that such behaviors and activities, regardless of who commits them must not be tolerated, and, that Lasheen is already suspended since April of 2017 due to another incident still under investigation by the Disciplinary Board of the University. The University’s President has also confirmed this incident.
Professor Lasheen has completely denied all of these accusations, saying he hadn’t received any letters or emails referring to any kind of investigations or allegations.
Lasheen is now receiving treatment at the hospital for a heart stroke. The case is still under investigation and the University’s Dean Gehan Youssef declared to The Egypt Independent Newspaper that she is currently preparing an official note to be sent to the University President stating that Lasheen immoral reputation is severely harming this institution.
