Egyptian Court Sentences Men To Three Years Imprisonment For Video Of Gay Marriage

We previously reported the arrest of seven men arrested for their alleged participation in a gay wedding ceremony in Egypt, now a Cairo court found the seven defendants guilty of the crime of “Inciting Debauchery” for what was alleged to be their participation a gay wedding on a Nile riverboat.

The video in question, which went viral on YouTube, shows two men kissing and exchanging wedding rings along with onlookers.

While homosexuality is not illegal per se in Egypt, in recent months there have been high profile incidents of police crackdowns on gays.

Human Rights watch accuses the Egyptian authorities of arresting and in some cases torturing those suspected of homosexuality.

Defense council for the convicted men denied that they had participated in homosexual sex, claiming that medical tests had proven the men had not done so. Members of the family, rights groups, and the accused believe the court bowed to pressure from the public to impose a guilty verdict and sentence the men to prison.

The court directed that after serving their prison sentence, the defendants would be required to submit to monitoring by police.

Here is the video in question. Note: the video is loud in volume.

Source:

Deutsche Welle

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