Egypt "hunting down" gays, conducting forced anal exams

[DJKeefy]

Six Egyptian men arrested for “promoting sexual deviancy” and “debauchery” on social media will be subjected to anal examinations ahead of their Oct. 1 trial, Amnesty International said on Saturday.

Their arrest is part of a wider crackdown against homosexuality, last week a group of people were seen raising a rainbow flag at a concert, a rare public show of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the conservative Muslim country.

At least 11 people have since been arrested, Amnesty said, and one man has been sentenced to six years in jail 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.

Amnesty said the Forensic Medical Authority was due to subject the six men to anal examinations to determine whether they have had homosexual sex.

Judicial sources said any defendant accused of “debauchery” or “sexual deviancy”, a euphemism for homosexuality in Egypt, is subjected to a medical examination based on an order from the Public Prosecutor.

“Allegations of torturing or insulting those medically examined are lies not worth responding to. The examinations are carried out by a forensic doctor who swore to respect his profession and its ethics,” one judicial source said.

Amnesty said such examinations violate the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under international law.

“The fact that Egypt’s Public Prosecutor is prioritizing hunting down people based on their perceived sexual orientation is utterly deplorable. These men should be released immediately and unconditionally – not put on trial,” said Najia Bounaim, North Africa Campaigns Director at Amnesty International.

“Forced anal examinations are abhorrent and amount to torture. The Egyptian authorities have an appalling track record of using invasive physical tests which amount to torture against detainees in their custody. All plans to carry out such tests on these men must be stopped immediately.”

Egypt’s Muslim religious establishment is voicing its support for the government’s moves against homosexuals.

“Al Azhar will stand against calls for sexual perversion the same way it has stood against extremist groups,” a preacher at the 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Muslim learning said in his Friday prayers sermon.

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.

The largest crackdown on homosexuals took place in 2001, when police raided a floating disco called the Queen Boat. Fifty-two men were tried in the case.

Source: Reuters

[newcastle]

The Egyptian authorities do seem to have an obsession about poking their noses into others' private affairs.

Not to mention poking their fingers into orifices.

These poor guys will be subjected to the male version of the virginity test allegedly used to intimidate female protesters. It was even proposed as a requirement of admittance of women to university by - you've guessed it - a male Egyptian member of parliament.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2016/09/30/ ... versities/

[Hafiz]

Its interesting that homosexual sex is not illegal in Egypt. Therefore the offenses in such situations are more general catch-all morality ones tried before junior judges. It would be interesting to know whether any of these offenses had ever got to a superior court where a final legal view could be established as a precedent.

Similarly most legal scholars say there is no legal basis for the female virginity tests - because there is no offense for being a non-virgin - therefore no need for evidence of virginity or non-virginity. Whether a superior court has ever found against the cops for these tests - or the male tests - I don't know. For example virginity can be compromised for reasons other than intercourse - half the female horse-riding aristocrats of England know this. In some cases several years ago it was alleged by some Egyptian women that the cops weren't interested in whether they were/had been married before they did the test.

What often gets forgotten in these cases is the low moral and professional standards of the medicos who consent to do the tests for the cops and the failure of the medical profession in Egypt to take a stand.

Even if a court found against the police for such tests there is no certainty that police behavior would change.

I thought I saw in a TV doco years ago that the anal tests had been proven in western courts decades ago to have no scientific validity - although that scientific impairment might not stop the local cops or courts doing what they want. Scientific facts don't count for much in some locations. Also I'm not sure that Egyptian courts are good at knowing the difference between proffered evidence and actual facts.

[newcastle]

Homosexuality (i.e. being gay) is not illegal in Egypt. Having homosexual sex certainly is...although, rather than put a new offence on the statute books, they class it as "debauchery".

They prefer to prove sex actually took place at some point (rendering the debauchery beyond doubt)...hence the anal examination.

As with its female equivalent, the examination is hardly "proof" of anything...but it will do in practice.

Even if sex can't be proven to have taken place, the ambit of "debauchery" is sufficiently wide to guarantee successful prosecution and a custodial sentence.

Whilst some doctors in Egypt might decline to carry out these intimate examinations, there's no shortage of ones who will.

Homosexuality is widely regarded as a perversion by Egyptians or an illness capable of being cured. Even then, it's an illness to be punished.

Losing ones virginity in Egypt is not, per se, a crime for a girl (unless it can be shown that prostitution or some other morality-based scenario is involved) but it does confer a certain social stigma.....which , of course, was the point of harassing female protestors. Unmarried non-virgin = despicable low-life.

[Major Thom]

FMG they turn their heads, which is the lesser of the two! You cannot make this up, but even in Australia Gay people are still trying to get marriage between two people of the same sex legalised, so its not just uneducated Countries that have a thing about people being gay. Again this is just another blatant act against peoples rights. Maybe those who follow up with these inspections will go home turned on and take it out of their wives, "You will let me do this or get the same as a fish in a chip shop"