08/09/2014 | Writer: Ömer Akpınar
Gays in the Egyptian capital fear that they might be arrested after a video went viral in the country.
Gays in the Egyptian capital fear that they might be arrested after a video went viral in the country.
A video showing two men marry on a boat party on the Nile started a witch hunt against gays in Egypt. After the video went viral on social media, the police started searching for the couple in gay spots.
First of all, the police arrested two men on Monday and asked them whether they know anyone appearing on the video. The same scenario happened when another 6 were arrested on Wednesday. About 25 other men were arrested on Thursday night, and by Friday, all the people appearing on the video were arrested.
“LGBT activists might be the next target”
The Egyptian member of the Regional Network, Maha Youssef, told kaosGL.org that the arrested men were sent to the Attorney Generalship, adding their concerns about the security of gays in Cairo:
“We are advicing the community these days not to hang out in groups, especially in downtown Cairo as the police is searching. Besides we are taking high security measures to secure LGBT activists as we believe we might be their next target.”
Youssef also said that the information regarding the arrested men being tortured was confirmed by their lawyer. The first trial for the men will take place tomorrow.
In 2001, a gay night club called Queen Boat was raided by the police, resulting in 52 men being arrested. Of 52 men arrested, 23 were handed jail sentences.
Tags: life
