Egypt: Four men to serve prison time for ‘debauchery’

Police are increasingly targeting gay men in areas seen as safe, activist says

Four Egyptian men accused of having gay sex and dressing in women’s clothing will serve up to eight years in prison for violating a “debauchery” ban, BuzzFeed reports.

The report quotes an activist, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, as saying that the men were arrested during a party at a Nasr City apartment that is a gathering point for LGBT people. The activist notes that authorities have been increasingly targeting the community in places that are usually considered safe havens — like apartments in private buildings or spas — alleging that there have been about a dozen arrests over the last few months.

In October, about 14 men were arrested in Cairo, accused of committing “immoral acts.”

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

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