GAY in EGYPT
TBC Eye on GLBT News Special
Report
By R. Zeke Fread
If your a "Gay Man", happen
to live in Egypt, then your also a "Gay Target" of the police. At
each and every turn, out and about, at a party on
a boat, or at home
just surfing the net. Their eyes
always watching for gay men, being gay men. Homosexuality is
illegal in Egypt and it is forbidden for
members of the same-sex to have activity [sex) together.
Homosexuals
are considered perverts and Satanist. This opinion is not only that of the police, it is
shared by the government, military and it seems a
large segment of the Egyptian public. Police
allege, that those arrested are being investigated for
acts of exploiting religion for their own ends, they were
practicing deviant rituals, had
practiced group sex
and abnormal activities.
The police are on a
constant vigil in search of catching gay men doing what gay men do. They
scour chat rooms and personal homepages or gay related
web sites on the internet. They lurk in chat rooms looking for gays
men trying to meet, hook up with other, or hustle
their sexual favors to gay men willing to pay for such
favors. If you do meet someone
on the net and arrange a meeting. That gay man you had planned to meet,
may very well not be the man of your dreams, he could be the man
in your nightmares.
Should he be one of those
who was interested in paying for your sexual
favors, then your about to experience your worst
nightmare.
Three more gay men had their
worst nightmare come true last month. According to an April 6th article by
The Rainbow Network, suspected of attempting to
procure sex with other men on the web. Prosecutors had ordered the
men remanded in custody pending investigation. Net friends turn
out to be the morality police. Now these
three men accused of
starting web sites with pornographic pictures and encouraging homosexual
relations. This is a
very serious situation these men find themselves in. In February this year,
two men were convicted for "defaming Egypt" and an unspecified "indecent act" after
posting on their web site they were soliciting sex either paid or unpaid. The court declared
they had "abused the technological revolution to do
their disgraceful act which defames
Egypt" The two men, a computer engineer received 15 months and an accountant 3 months in jail by the
Cairo criminal court, according to Ananova.com. Then on May 5th, 2001,
A student was arrested in Egypt, for
allegedly offering his sexual services to rich Arabs on the net. Ahemd
lbrahim Abu el~Dahab 19, was arrested in a cafe, the man he arranged to met
turned out to be yet another undercover police officer. Charged with committing
an indecent act, he stands accused of posting obscene
photos of himself on his home page.
If found guilty of these charges, he faces up to three years
jail.
Intensifying the crack down on gay
men, a hundred, soldiers, state security forces and "homosexual
vice squad" gathered together along the banks of the River Nile in
Zamalek, Cairo. In the very early
morning hours
on May
11th, ten undercover officers slipped aboard The Queen Boat
Discotheque. They started to secretly video tape the Egyptians enjoying a night out at the Discotheque.
Parties are held twice a week on the Queen Boat, but, this was about to change the meaning of
party. It was shortly before 2
a.m., when those surrounding the boat entered and began to arrest the suspects aboard the
boat, as GayEgypt.com has reported. Several gay foreigners
who were aboard witnessed the arrests but, were
not detained. They said, each man
arrested were verbally ridiculed the police as they were being
dragged to waiting police vans. The men arrested were taken to
Abdin police station. Some said to be badly beaten,
a
total of forty were
arrested on The Queen Boat Discotheque. Police
then proceeded to apartments in Heliopolis, Hadayek Qubla and
Maadia, they made twenty-two additional arrests.
The raid netted a total of sixty-two young gay men
and included three doctors
and computer company owner. Al Wafd newspaper reported that prisoners
were subjected to medical examinations to determine
if signs of anal penetration were present. The men arrested,
subsequently, were charged with, "Exploiting religion
to promote extreme ideas, to create strife and belittling revealed religion. Being accused variously of Perversion and
Satanism. It
is alleged many had taken part in a sex party whilst on the boat.
If found guilty, the
men face up to five
years in prison, according to GayEgypt.com. With no out cry from the public, Egypt's human rights
organizations are strangely silent and local
news papers scream perverts, Satanists, devil worshippers and highest punishment
should be imposed to deter others from this
perversion. A list of those arrested published
in several newspapers papers,
included name, age, profession and employers. Such as company owners and
doctors pictures were prominently displayed on front
pages of newspapers. Where're those shouting
injustice, violation of basic human rights and have
compassion. GayEgypt.com posted this eye-witness
account of the storm troopers type raid on our Egyptian
brothers.
Be that as it may, 62 men are
in jail after a raid by the "Morality Police" crackdown on Gay men. There is much
fear for 50 of the 62
who have not been heard from since taken into custody . Prevailing atmosphere
of distaste held for gays, causes concern
about their treatment
they are enduring while in jail. It is reported the
treatment detainees undergo while in Egypt's jails is horrific. An Amnesty International news release
was titled, "Egypt: Torture
Remains Ripe as Cries for Justice Go Unheeded". The opinion held by most
police about gays is of being perverse and
mentally abnormal. With such a low opinion of Gay men as they
share, any fears of physical abuse could be well
founded. And support
of those jailed by
human rights groups has
been termed lukewarm.
GayEgypt.com reports
Samir Al Bagouri of
the Association on Human Rights
Legal Aid said, "We generally defend liberties
but there are red lines we should stop at". Family members, relatives and
friends wait outside the State Security hour after hour, one could hardly
imagine their pain and
anguish. All
with the hope of
seeing their loved one and at the least, learn any information about them.
They are shown the same compassion
those arrested were, none! But, at the moment
they are not being beaten, ridiculed or dragged to waiting
vans and taken to jail. GayEgypt.com
posted this witness account to this profoundly heart wrenching
scene. It is so very detailed and visually descriptive, you may find it difficult to make it
through the whole
account. I took three breaks, to finish it.
I was left in total disbelief, this is
2001 and this is happening at this very moment. Thoughts of thanks I
don't live in Egypt, but, this thought is quickly replaced with feeling outrage and hopelessness in being
able to
help.
After Amnesty International drew
attention to the plight of those arrested treatment and conditions they
must endure. National media and human
rights organizations start to investigate the injustice and human
rights violations these gay
men are being subjected to. The Rainbow Network posts an article regarding
the constant flow of disinformation
surrounding Egypt's gay men arrests on June 6,
2001.
Response to Amnesty International's
Statements and Involvement in Egypt's
Persecution of Gay Detainees. If you haven't be offended by bigoted and severe
homophobic attitudes andcomments, you are about to be. GayEgytp.com Special Report.
As news on the detainee's
conditions in jail surface, it is evident mistreatment and rights
violations are extensive.
Imprisoned since their arrests in the early morning hours, 2:00 A.M,
of May 11th, concern for
the well being for these gay men has spread world wide. It's
not only a few gay news services that are posting articles, just about every gay news
services world wide is covering the arrests in
Egypt. Humanrights organizations are
expressing great concern for those being held in prison in Egypt. With
Amnesty International, who has been looking into the arrest early on, are saying
they are gravely concerned about on going
detention of scores of Gay
Men. Amnesty International believes most, if not all, of the men are
being
detained on the grounds of their "alleged"
sexual orientation. If ones sexual orientation is the sole
reason for their being detained, Amnesty
International would consider them prisoners of conscience
and would call for their immediate and unconditional
release.
Egyptian newspapers coverage has
portrayed those arrested in such a negative light and constantly centered
their coverage on the men's alleged
sexual orientation. After alleging the men were devil worshippers and
Satanists, involved in perversion and
perverts. Releasing as much personal information on each man as
can obtain. As you can see by the list
posted above, names, ages, occupation, employer and one case the
family address of man. They reported on
the day of the raid, each of those arrested were
subjected to an examination. The purpose of the
examination was to determine whether they were anally penetrated
or practiced anal sex. With forensic medical
examination results on rectal exams recently released, causes
one to wonder, how
soon will it take the Egyptian news media to publish this information.
The next organization to express
concern for the jailed Gay Egyptians is the European Union. Following
the Amnesty International statement
expressing grave concern over the arrest and detention of more than
50 Gay men in Egypt. The E.U is
reported to be weighing formal intervention on the prisoners behalf. Only
last month, on the 25th of June, Egypt
and European Union were to sign an association agreement. [I have
not been able to verify signing took
place.] A clause in the agreement, demands respect for human rights, included
was freedom from discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation. The 15 Member-States are considering a formal approach to
Egypt over the arrests. The Commission is monitoring the case
closely.
It is now the end of June, the
28th, it must seen like an eternity to those prisoners in Egypt. The recent news
is
from The Gay Financial Network, Egyptians Face Trail on Gay Sex Charges, unfortunately, still no date is set and few if any at all have been released. With the Forth of
July comes the good news that Human Rights Watch, {HRW}, and the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission, {IGLHRC} released a joint statement of condemnation of the
men's arrest and detention. Expressing grave concern that the men
have been
subjected to torture in detention. Both International Human Rights groups
deplored the Egyptian government's decision to prosecute fifty-two men charging
"obscene behavior" and expressing "contempt for religion".
HRW and IGLHRC Statement on
Gay Egyptian arrests and background.
July 18, 2001:
More than 50 suspected homosexuals
have gone on trail in Egypt in a case that is sure to draw widespread criticism from human
rights groups. Egypt law does not expressly prohibit homosexuality, thus the men are standing trial
in state security court on charges of, "propagating extremist ideas and for
debauchery". Egyptian Men on Trail for
Gay Party.
Charges Include: Exploiting the Islamic religion, Spreading extremist ideas, Sparking
civil strife, Practicing debauchery with men, Egyptian Men on trail for Gay
Party
July 19th. &
20th. 2001
All prisoners pleaded innocent, two men to charges of "disdain of religion and
practicing immoral acts". The fifty other men to "practicing
immoral acts", charges which resulted from the forced invasive
exam each man
was subjected to immediately upon their arriving. This truly
represents an unwilling immoral act committed on the men. Yet, no charges brought against the person
who performed the examination or, to the morality police who ordered
the men to submit to this violation and invasion of their bodies. The
anguish and suffering caused by this inhuman persecution, extends far
beyond just the detainees. Their families, loved ones and friends are
forced to endure
unimaginable heart ache. With the men held incommunicado, their families have no
contact what so
ever with the men. The community and Egyptian society have adjudged the men
guilty, even without a verdict. Relatives are verbally berated as they walk down
streets, walls painted with degrading and insulting
graffiti. Even the Police torment and ridicule them for
bringing disgrace to the men. Family and friends were banned from attending
the hearing. As spectators hurled insults and called the prisoners "perverts" as
police vans drove them away. Family members unable to control their
emotional distress, became furious at the sight of photographers trying to take pictures
of the men. Some attacked then and a brother got into a fight with one
spectators who called his brother a "faggot".
The trials will start again on August 15th, when defense lawyers
will begin
their arguments. Persecutor [Prosecutor] General indicated the trail may go on
for months. This will expose the men and their families, to continued
torment, abuse and ridicule. The whole world is watching the
reprehensible and immoral actions of police and persecutors [prosecutors] toward this men. Albeit, sickening
to all who are watching, it also serves to rekindle memories of another
abusive trial. That of Egypt's leading human rights advocate, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who was
sentenced in May to seven years in prison. His crime,not homosexuality, he was promoting
democracy and religious tolerance. These two cases expose the political
and religious
agenda of Islamic Conservatives and Egyptian Government of President Hosni
Mubarak. As far as
their intended purpose, I am not an expert, I submit this article as a possible
motive. The common thread Gay's in the USA and Gays in Egypt share, is the religious
controls on our governments laws and legislation on Gay Human and Civil Rights. Should
the religious factor be removed from our governments. There would
remain no other
reason what so ever, for the persecution or denial of civil and human rights of
Gay members of both our countries. This trial was a
nightmare
for the gay men and their hell will continue for months so it
seems.
GayEgypt.com is calling for a
Tourist Boycott of Egypt, until the Gay Men are released and charges are
dropped.
Should you be Gay Tourists planning a trip to Egypt, you had better watch your
every move while in Egypt. Be assured, your every move will be watched by the
morality police. Although, Gay foreigners were present at the Queen Boat raid and were
not arrested. The atmosphere, attitudes and treatment of gays, the
gay
men arrested and their families by a majority of
society in Egypt, should be cause for concern for one personal safety at this
time.
August 1, 2001:
Hossam Bahgat, Human Rights
Activist, who was leading the call for justice for the detainees. Hossam's article puts into perspective why
the government and police are targeting
gay. Al-Ahram Online Weekly, published in Cairo, ran an article,
"Ethics in the Balance". It explores the attitudes of those who control the Egyptian
press, who have been ruthless in their attacks on the men and homosexuality, and
their resentment toward such groups as Amnesty
International, A.I., and Human Rights Watch, H.R.W.. Their statements that,
"Expressed grave concern about the detention of men
in connection with their sexual", has infuriated some of the Egyptian press. Some newspapers attacks on A.I. and
H.R.W. have accused them of meddling in Egypt's internal affairs and
imposing their beliefs on Egyptian culture. To this Human Rights
Watch,
Middle East and Northern Africa executive
director Hany Megally, simply responds, "There is no
law
against homosexuality in Egypt, our aim is to see the rule of law and to
safeguard human rights", he adds "The only thing we can ask for is to have an international
observer". Needless to say, it isn't likely that this will happen with the anti-foreigner
input into Egypt's internal affairs. Included in this posting are a few other
article, "Bothered and Bewildered", "The paradox of Egypt's open door policy,
religious persecution of their
citizens and violations of basic human rights. "On
to the Next Chapter" Uproar of human rights organizations
at home and abroad over the
imprisonment of Saadeddin Ibrahim, a sociology professor at the American
University in Cairo, AUC and NGO activist, for seven years and "The Circus is in Town", trying to get
the facts about the 52 Gay Men arrests. These articles are from May,
June and August of this year, they offer various outlooks into the
policy and workings of the Egyptian government. I found them to be interesting
and informative. I hope you do to. Read
Articles.
August 3rd, 2001:
35 U.S. House of Representatives sign a letter sent
to Egypt's President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak. The letter was drafted by Rep. Barney Frank
and co-sponsored by Rep Tom Lantos. Those who signed, state their
strong disapproval
of the gay Men's arrest and declare the prosecution of the men indefensible. The
call for worldwide
protests has been called for by various human rights organizations. August 15th,
has been declared a Day of Support, Mourning and Solidarity, for the 52 Detainees.
Read this Action Alert including the letter to Egypt's President, sent out by TBC to our membership and
supporters. Read TBC Action
Alert.
August 15th, 2001:
With the resumption of the 52 detainees trail, I
have collected articles from several online news
organizations
worldwide, The Gay Financial
Network, BBC UK and 365Gay.com Newscenter, and posted them here for your
perusal. Read Articles.
Editors Note: They are eager
to welcome Gay and Lesbian U. S. taxpayers aide of
millions of dollars into Egypt, yet persecute Gays at the same time. This
hypocrisy, should not remain to continue, not one dollar of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender taxpayers contributions should go in support of the Egyptian
government and economy.
August 29, 2001:
The Immorality Trail of 52 Gay Men Reconvenes in
Egypt. Defense lawyers for the 52 gay men told the Judge, the case has no place in State Security
Court, because it leaves the men no avenue or rights for
appeal. Five
western diplomats observed the trial, one said, "We are concerned about this
case, and we attach great importance to freedom of sexual orientation". As in the
past, all family members continue to be denied the right to observe the proceedings. Read Article,
by Gay.com and Article, by Middle East
Times. Trial to continue on
September 5, 2001.
September 5, 2001:
As the trial convenes for another section a new voice is
heard for the men's release. German government officials join with other countries, in
sending a letter to Egypt's
President condemning the prosecution of the 52 Gay men. Read the press release and text of
their letter. Reports by the 52 detainees of alleged charges
of
being subjected to weekly torture sessions since
their arrests. This is a concern to the western diplomats
observing the trial. Email received from the Gay & Lesbian Arabs Online on trial. The trial will continue on
September 18, 2001.
By R. Zeke
Fread
Editor Eye on GLBT News
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