A former Cairo university student appeared in court on Saturday charged with blackmail and indecent assault of at least three women in a closely watched case prompted by social media that opened up a rare public debate on sex crimes.

A view of the Nile River and the Cairo city is seen from the Cairo Tower in Cairo, Egypt, November 24, 2019. Photo: Xinhua

Ahmed Bassam Zaki, aged in his early 20s and a former student at the American University in Cairo, attended a closed session with the trial adjourned to November 7, a lawyer from the defense team, Ahmed Ragheb, told Reuters.

In September, the public prosecutor referred Zaki to the criminal court on charges of "sexually assaulting three girls under the age of 18 and threatening them along with a fourth girl with disclosing matters related to their honor."

Zaki, who comes from a wealthy family, could face a life sentence or death sentence if the prosecution proves rape with evidence.

The case has attracted widespread attention from media, religious figures and women's groups in a country where rights defenders say sexual harassment or abuse often goes unpunished.

A 2017 Reuters poll found Cairo to be the most dangerous megacity for women and 99 percent of women in Egypt interviewed by the United Nations in 2013 said they had experienced sexual harassment.

Allegations against Zaki were posted in previous years on a private Facebook group run by AUC students but authorities reacted in 2020 after the accusations surfaced on an Instagram account named @assaultpolice. After Zaki's arrest, hundreds of women started to speak up.