Europe and the US Bankroll Persecution of Homosexuals in Egypt
IGLHRC Urges Action as Arrests Intensify
International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission, February 12, 2002
1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA
Tel. 1.415.255.8680, Fax. 1.415.255.8662
Email iglhrc@iglhrc.org
SAN FRANCISCO—As the arrests and draconian
convictions of alleged homosexuals in Egypt intensify, the International Gay
and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) issued a call to the Bush
Administration and the European Union to pressure Egypt’s government to end
the campaign of persecution and to release the men now in prison.
"The US and The European Union cannot ignore the human rights records
of their allies," stated Scott Long, IGLHRC’s Program Director.
"Because of charges about their consensual sexual conduct, scores of
innocent people are tortured and sent to prison or hard labor in Egypt,"
he added—"and the Egyptian government is rewarded with hard cash."
"We have documented cases that all follow the same pattern:
entrapment, unjust accusations with fabricated evidence, police beatings,
biased courts and media—all leading to heavy sentences," said Mr. Long.
"We fear we have only seen the tip of the iceberg."
Only last week, the Agouza Court of Misdemeanors sentenced another
defendant, Zaki S., to 3 years’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of
probation.
Homosexual acts are not expressly criminalized in Egypt, but the government
has used provisions of a 1961 law to target them, charging suspected
homosexuals with "habitual practice of debauchery" and with
prostitution.
"Homosexuality is not a crime and is not obscene," added Mr.
Long. "Jailing and torturing innocent people is both, and the US and the
EU need to make that distinction perfectly clear."
The US government remains silent. The EU and European governments remain
silent as well, except for small symbolic gestures. In Europe, French
President Chirac’s voiced his guarded "concern" to Egyptian
President Mubarak on February 8. In the US and in some European countries
small groups of politicians have lodged protests as well.
On the other hand, the European Parliament approved on November 30 an
Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement for economic cooperation between
Egypt and the European Union, barely two weeks after 23 men were convicted to
hard labor sentences because of their presumed homosexuality. The United
States regards Israel and Egypt as its prime allies in the region, and
supports both with extensive foreign aid, rarely questioning their rights
records. On February 6, the US and the European Union, together with the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund, rewarded Egypt with a pledge of
$10.3 billion in aid over the next three years.
For summaries of some known cases of recent arrests and convictions, see
below.
See http://www.iglhrc.org/world/africa/Egypt2002Feb.html
for IGLHRC’s recent action alert on Egypt.
IGLHRC is a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that works
to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities subject
to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation, gender
identity, or HIV status.
For full press release go to http://www.iglhrc.org/news/press/pr_020212.html
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IGLHRC is a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that works
to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities subject
to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation, gender
identity, or HIV status.
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