'We're Desperate': Malévola Alves Arrested in Egypt Over Alleged Sexual Gestures as She Pleads for Help

Lawyers contact Brazil's embassy after Malévola Alves and Bruna Tivo are detained over social media videos in Egypt

Brazilian influencer Malévola Alves pleaded for help after her arrest in Alexandria, Egypt, on Tuesday over alleged sexual gestures in social media videos, a detention confirmed by the country's Interior Ministry.

The arrest followed the circulation of footage featuring Alves and her friend, fellow Brazilian Bruna Mercatelli. Egyptian authorities alleged that the pair directed suggestive comments at people in the street and harassed passersby. Alves subsequently described police halting their van during a tour.

Her legal team reported that it was in contact with the Brazilian Embassy in Cairo and relevant authorities to ensure Alves's physical safety and legal rights.

Malévola Alves Describes Passports Being Confiscated

Alves turned to Instagram Stories to describe the encounter with police and seek assistance from her followers. In her account, officers approached the women during an outing, confiscated their passports and took them to a police station.

'We're at the police station, we're desperate. I don't know what's going to happen or what they're going to do to us. They took all our passports and stopped our van in the middle of the tour', she wrote.

The post conveyed her uncertainty about what would happen next, without offering a detailed response to the allegations subsequently outlined by the ministry. Her appeal focused on their situation at the station and the removal of their travel documents.

Alves also reported that police questioned both women about their gender identities. She and Mercatelli are transgender women. Her account of that questioning does not establish where either woman would be held or the conditions of their detention.

Egyptian Ministry Outlines Allegations Against Malévola Alves

The Interior Ministry announced the arrests on Tuesday, stating that investigators had identified the two tourists after videos appeared on social media. Images released by the authorities depicted the pair dancing and making gestures.

Officials characterised the conduct in the footage as 'pornographic exhibitionism', alongside sexual innuendo and harassment of passersby. Those descriptions represent the authorities' allegations about the recordings.

The ministry further alleged that, during questioning, both women admitted to the conduct described and to recording and publishing the videos to increase their views.

Alves's appeal for assistance, as reproduced in the reporting, did not address the ministry's assertion about why the footage had been recorded or posted.

Authorities reported that legal proceedings had begun and that the case had been referred to Egypt's Public Prosecutor's Office. No specific criminal charge was identified in the reporting.

The Online Following Behind Malévola Alves

Alves, whose full name is Mariana Alves Gadelha Pereira, is a 22-year-old digital creator known for lifestyle, fashion and everyday routine content. Her videos include the 'get ready with me' format, alongside humour described in the reporting as 'acidic'.

She had around 900,000 TikTok followers and maintained a presence on Instagram, although her main Instagram account was deactivated at the time of its report.

The legal response described by her representatives focused on ensuring Alves's safety through contact with diplomatic officials and relevant agencies. No embassy response was included in the reporting.

Egypt