Egypt: Police arrest 14 men in Cairo for ‘homosexual acts’ at medical centre
A group of men aged between 18 and 57 were detained on Saturday, accused of committing “homosexual acts” at a medical centre in Cairo.
Al-Ahram reports that Police raided the centre in al-Marg where it was alleged the acts had taken place.
A prosecutor ordered that 14 suspects be detained for four days pending investigation into the incident.
He also ordered that the suspects be sent to a specialist for “forensic reports,” and that the centre be shut down so that evidence could be confiscated.
While Egypt does not have explicitly anti-gay legislation, gay people are can be arrested on other charges such as “debauchery”, as was also the case with seven men in November last year.
Activists and LGBT citizens also fear that the new government, lead by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, may soon change the lack of anti-gay laws and crack down on LGBT Egyptians.
The Egypt Initiative for Personal Rights reported that “after the fall of Mubarak, the criticism of those [revolutionary] groups has always contained a sexual element. Whether it’s the women who are participating called prostitutes or ‘loose’ women, or men are called homosexuals.”
