Egypt’s beer producer to face prosecutor for insulting army

CAIRO – Egypt’s Consumer Protection Agency has referred the country’s leading producer of beer, wine and spirits to a prosecutor over accusations that it offended the army in a social media advertisement.

In an official statement, the head of the agency Adel Yacoub said Saturday that the Heineken-owned Al-Ahram Beverage Company has “harmed one of the state institutions.”

He noted the advertisement was posted on the company’s Facebook page this month and showed a man carrying a military service certificate with the word “exempted” next to a caption that reads “dream.”

“This is the dream of each one of us,” the advertisement said.

Yacoub added it depicted youth in an “inappropriate way, as if their dream is to escape military service and run away from the duty of protecting the nation.”