November 14, 2001
Today Egypt's increasingly repressive regime again shocked the world by sentencing twenty
three men, already held for over six months in appalling conditions, to prison sentences ranging
from one to five years. Their crime was their alleged sexual orientation following their arrest
at a Cairo discotheque on 11 May.

According to Sarah El Deeb writing for the Associated Press "Most of them could not hear
what sentence they received. One defendant kissed the Quran, Islam's holy book; another

screamed at a news cameraman. Most covered their faces, some with masks fashioned from

handkerchiefs."

But judge Mohammed Abdel Karim read the sentences quickly ignoring the protestations of

defendants and relatives. He looked a little uncomfortable though when several men shouted

defiantly ``We will appeal to God! He is our defender!''

To the great relief of some of the waiting relatives, twenty nine men were aquitted but they
face an uncertain future. Their names and workplace details were published in the Egyptian 

press earlier this year and there is little chance that they will ever be able to lead normal
lives again.

The other twenty three are just as innocent. Their only crime was their alleged sexual orientation.

But they were convicted by a state security court determined to set a harsh example to any gay

man even thinking about putting his foot out of the closet.

Twenty received two years sentences for immoral behaviour. One man received a one year

sentence.Mahmoud Ahmad Allam, who was convicted of "perverting religion" but acquitted of

"immoral sex", received a three year sentence.

Sherif Farahat, the former IBM engineer and part time artist, whose private diaries and writings
attracted such undeserved notoriety in the Egyptian press, received five years with hard labour.

A journalist from CNN described the chaotic situation outside the court -

"Only a few people had been allowed into the court room. Police wielding sticks drove back a
crowd of about 200 relatives, lawyers, journalists and members of the public, and closed the

courthouse doors. Relatives of the accused.....jostled journalists covering the trial, accusing

them of defaming the defendants. The accused entered the court room hiding their faces behind

masks and newspapers."

According to Fox News the relatives of those acquitted were overjoyed.

"When news of the sentences came in bits and pieces from people leaving the court, one elderly
woman joyfully distributed sweets and soft drinks, saying she had heard her son was among
those acquitted"

But no such joy for the many families and friends of the twenty three men now sentenced to long
prison sentences. And even for those released the nightmare is not over. Legal sources informed
Afrol news [a news magazine covering African issues] that though the sentences of the twenty
three found guilty cannot be appealed "the prosecutors can appeal the acquittals after thirty days

from sentencing have elapsed."



WE OFFER TO FLY OVER TO LONDON ATLEAST ONE OF THOSE ACQUITTED

This is a message from GayEgypt.com to the twenty three acquitted. Unfortunately at the moment we
can only make this offer to one person of the twenty three but we will be asking other organizations if

they can make a similar offer.

If your name matches one of the men originally arrested at the Queen Boat and you can prove to
us and the British Embassy that you were one of those imprisoned for the last six months and you
can obtain a visa to London we will consider paying for a single or return ticket for you to
London by air and to provide you with comfortable accomodation and food and reasonable London 

travel expenses for up to a month. But as we state above unfortunately we can only afford to sponsor

one person. The offer stands until the end of this year and we will be happy to write the sponsored

person an invitation letter.

Unfortunately, for security reasons, there are a number of considerations we have to take in
addition to those given above, regarding whether to accept any request, which we cannot disclose.
However, we do want to sponsor atleast one person and we hope other organizations may be able to
sponsor others.

We apologise profusely to the twenty three men that we can only sponsor one person. We fully
acknowledge the terrible conditions that you have all endured for the last six months and and we
will obviously not ask you to disclose your experiences as a condition of acceptance.