Appeal Begins For 16 Year Old  Gay Egyptian Teen 
by Jon ben Asher
365Gay.com Newscenter in London

(November 21, London)  An appeal begins today for a 16 year old gay Egyptian convicted of "debauchery" and "crimes against Islam".

The teen was one of 52 males arrested when police raided a gay club in a Nile riverboat  in May.

The youth was found guilty on September 18 after he signed a police confession.  Human rights activists allege the confession was coerced.  The boy and the others arrested at the time have accused jail guards of torture including the use of cattle prods.

He received a sentence of three years' imprisonment with labour followed by three years of probation. His appeal was originally set for October 31.

Human Rights Watch called on Egypt's prosecutor general to ask the appeals court to overturn the conviction, citing discriminatory application of the law, charges of torture during interrogation, prolonged pre-trial detention, limited access to counsel and family members, and a failure to protect the boy's privacy during the court proceedings.

"This case has been marred by a host of human rights violations," said Clarisa Bencomo of the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. "It should never have come to trial."

The appeal was granted only because of the teen's age.

Human Rights Watch has called on the Egyptian government to overturn the conviction and release the boy. 

The adults, were prosecuted separately before an Emergency State Security Court, which reached a verdict on November 14. Twenty-three were sentenced to between one and five years of hard labour; twenty-nine were acquitted.

Last week, Egyptian authorities made four additional arrests of gay men.

"Egyptian authorities targeted these individuals solely because of their presumed sexual orientation," Bencomo said. "By discriminating against a group of its citizens in this way, Egypt has violated a fundamental principle of human rights law."