52 Egyptian Men Charged with Sodomy
Reuters, June 29, 2001
CAIRO — Fifty-two men detained in May after a police raid on a nightclub
on the Nile have been charged with sodomy and religious crimes, the state
prosecutor said on Thursday.
"[The files of the] 52 men were transferred to a state security court
in connection with charges of abusing religion to spread extremist ideas
verbally and in writing ... and practicing sodomy," Prosecutor General
Maher Abdel-Wahid told reporters.
Abdel-Wahid said three photographers who had also been arrested in the raid
were set free.
Police said they had been watching the group for some time and had compiled
a file on their practices before the nocturnal raid on the Queen Boat, known
locally as a popular gay venue, on May 9.
The defendants were also charged with distorting the Koran, causing offence
to monotheistic faiths, immoral practices and praying in a manner that
contradicts proper practice, Abdel-Wahid said.
Two of the men were additionally charged with being "ringleaders and
masterminds" of the group, he added.
The charges carry a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, court
sources said.
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