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afrol News, 14 August - Tomorrow is to mark the beginning of a controversial trial against 52 Egyptian allegedly homosexual men, arrested in a raid on a Cairo discotheque on 11 May. Organisations from Amnesty to gay Muslim's Al-Fatiha are protesting, and demonstrations have been seen from Kampala to Berlin. A trial is set to begin tomorrow in ciaro for 52 men jailed on charges ranging from "obscene behavior" to "contempt for religion." Some of the men could face up to eight years in prison. Sentences of the Emergency State Security Court which will hear their case brook no ordinary appeal. The men were arrested in connection with a 11 May raid on the Cairo discotheque "Queen Boat" believed to be a gathering place for homosexuals. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) then reported on their arrest. IGLHRC and the US group Human Rights Watch later condemned the arrests in a joint statement. Amnesty International has adopted the 52 jailed men as prisoners of conscience. Other human rights groups, gay rights organisations and foreign governments have since condemned the arrest. The 52 men have endured persecution, and now face prison, because of their alleged sexual orientation. Evidence suggests they may have been tortured in detention. They further have been steadily vilified in the State-directed media; whatever possibility of a fair trial remained, given the arbitrariness of the laws and procedures under which they were held, has been damaged beyond repair. The paradoxal situation is that Egypt is one of the few Muslim countries that doesn't outlaw homosexuality. This fact had led to the development of a national gay scene becoming more and more visible. No permanent gay and lesbian club existed, but were established temporarily until the location became too known - in fear of police raids. The arrests came in during such a raid, which can be seen as a conservative-religious reaction to the enhanced visibility of the Egyptian gay scene. As homosexuality is not outlawed, charges against the alleged gays men are based on "religious dissent", "prostitution" and "perversions". The media campaign against the suspects - attacking the "homosexuals" and publishing pictures of them - however leaves no doubt that their are charged for their sexual oritentation. Even the president of the national human rights committee will not support the 52 men, because he "doesn't like homosexuality". The government's heavy-handed handling of this case is hardly unique. Similar crackdowns on Islamist groups - using similar emergency procedures - are a common occurrence in Egypt. Threatened with mounting popular discontent, however, the government has lately moved to guard its flank, showing its harshness toward secularist as well as fundamentalist voices. Feminists and democratic dissidents have been recent targets. According to IGLHRC, "Homosexuals are simply the latest, and perhaps the most politically convenient, scapegoats." International protest has been growing as the trial nears. The Muslim gay's and lesbian's group, Al-Fatiha, has called for a day of protest tomorrow to urge the Egyptian government to release the prisoners. The action calls for contacting Egyptian embassies and consulates around the world until the men are unconditionally released. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people around the world will also hold demonstrations and rallies in front of Egyptian embassies and consulates. Demontrations are expected from Kampala to Berlin and Los Angeles. "All Muslims are called upon to take a stand against injustice," said Faisal Alam, founder and director, Al-Fathia. "Islam is a religion of peace and social justice. Islam is not homophobic and homophobia is not Islamic." The weekend, the US group Human Rights Campaign (HRC) endorsed the call to action issued by Al-Fatiha. "We call on the Egyptian government to immediately drop all charges against these innocent men who are being persecuted for allegedly being gay," said HRC National Field Director, Seth Kilbourn. "The fight for basic human rights transcends borders and we are proud to stand with our coalition partners in this effort." IGLHRC today also endorsed the call by Al-Fatiha for an International Day of Solidarity and Mourning tomorrow. The organisation further called for an intensification of the international campaign against the Cairo trial. The organisation urges "individuals and their governments to voice their condemnation directly to Egypt's leaders," and has prepared a sample letter of protest stating "outrage over the persecution". Amnesty International earlier has stated it was "gravely concerned about the ongoing detention of scores of men in Egypt in connection with their sexual orientation," and has adopted the detainees as prisoners of conscience. The human rights organisation supports the actions called on by Al-Fatiha. Also pressure from foreign governments is increasing following the initiative from Al-Fatiha. The US Representative Barney Frank has edited a protest letter to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, calling the prosecution "indefensible". It has already signed by over 30 US parliamentarians, both Democrats and Republicans. The US this year is to contribute US$ 1.96 billion in aid to Egypt, pending on Congress approval. - This is the first time that we're really confronting a government, says Faisal Alam. While government-sanctioned hostility against gays is not new, this sort of organised worldwide protest for the sake of gays is. "It's scary, but it's a very principled stance," Alam notes. Source: Based on IGLHRC, Al-Fatiha, Amnesty and afrol archives
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