Egypt arrests dozens in crackdown on gays

Egypt has arrested 22 people in the past

three days as part of a crackdown on gays

after a rainbow flag was raised at a concert,

activists and rights groups said on Monday.

At least 33 people have been arrested since

Sept. 23, a day after a group of people were

seen raising the flag, a rare public show of

support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender rights in the conservative

Muslim country.

The public prosecutor announced an

investigation after local media launched a

highly critical campaign against those who

raised the rainbow flag at a Mashrou’ Leila

concert, a popular Lebanese alternative rock

band whose lead singer is openly gay.

On Monday police arrested Ahmed Alaa and

Sarah Hegazy, the latter being the first

woman involved in such an incident in years,

in relation to the case, their lawyer said.

They were both charged with “joining a

group formed in contrary to the law” and

“propagating that group’s idea”. Hegazy

faced a further charge of “promoting sexual

deviancy and debauchery” and the Supreme

State Security Prosecution ordered them

detained for 15 days, lawyer Amr Mohamed

told Reuters.

Two men had been arrested earlier in

relation to the flag incident but one was

released. The remaining arrests were

unrelated to the incident but have all been

over the perceived sexual orientation of the

defendants and came after it.

At least 10 men were arrested between

Sept. 28-30 and six others earlier that week,

judicial sources said. All 16 went on trial on

Sunday charged with “promoting sexual

deviancy” and “debauchery”, euphemisms for

homosexuality. A verdict is due on Oct. 29.

One man has been sentenced to six years in

jail over similar charges.

Although homosexuality is not specifically

outlawed in Egypt, it is a conservative

society and discrimination is rife. Gay men

are frequently arrested and typically charged

with debauchery, immorality or blasphemy.

Those arrested are subjected to anal

examinations to determine whether they

have had gay sex, which rights groups

Amnesty International and Human Rights

Watch say amounts to torture.

Five such examinations have taken place,

Amnesty International said on Monday.

Judicial sources do not deny the

examinations take place but say they are

legally carried out and are not a form of

abuse.

“In a matter of days the Egyptian security

forces have rounded up dozens of people

and carried out five anal examinations

signaling a sharp escalation in the

authorities’ efforts to persecute and

intimidate members of the LGBTI community

following the rainbow flag incident,” said

Najia Bounaim, North Africa Campaigns

Director at Amnesty.

In 2001, 52 men were arrested when police

raided a floating disco called the Queen

Boat.