Er yes actually
Group Says Egypt Entraps, Tortures Gays
Associated Press, March 1, 2004
By Nadia Abou El-Magd, Associated Press Writer
CAIRO, Egypt—Egyptian authorities have entrapped, arrested and tortured
hundreds of men thought to be gay, a New York-based human rights group said in a
report Monday.
Human Rights Watch urged Egypt to repeal legislation allowing the prosecution
of consensual homosexual relations ?covered under the country’s debauchery
laws.
The report said police agents surf the Internet and answer personal ads
placed by men seeking men, then arrange meetings with them and arrest them.
Gen. Ahmed Shehab, who oversees Internet-related crimes for the Interior
Ministry, said he had not yet seen the report and was unable to comment on it.
However, vice officials in the past have acknowledged the practice of answering
Internet personals by gay men and praised it for getting results.
At a news conference, Human Rights Watch and Egyptian rights groups accused
the government of ignoring its own declarations to the United Nations and the
European Union that homosexuality is legal in Egypt.
“The police at Abideen police station (in Cairo) clearly have a different
opinion because they are going out and they are arresting men who are doing
nothing, who are accused of nothing, but consensual, private, homosexual conduct.”
said Scott Long, HRW’s director for homosexual issues.
Received on 05/01/06-01:40:18 PM Z
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