10th May: Global Day of Action and Solidarity in protest at the continued
detention, persecution and torture of Egyptian men on the grounds of sexual
orientation
ILGA
Europe, April 22, 2003
ILGA-Europe Media Release
Birgit Hardt
Public Affairs Officer
tel.: +32-2 732 62 48
A number of NGOs and human rights organisations,
including Amnesty International as well as the US-based Al-Fatiha foundation,
are organising a day of protests at the continued detention, persecution and
torture of Egyptian men on the grounds of real or perceived sexual
orientation.
10th May marks the two-year anniversary of police raids
on the gay club, Queen Boat. Around 60 men were arrested, 23 of whom were
sentenced to prison terms of between one and five years in November 2001.
Following international protests, a retrial was held on 15th March 2003, when
29 men were acquitted but 21 people were convicted again, receiving harsher
sentences of imprisonment and forced labour. Since then, the Egyptian police
have arrested and interrogated many individuals suspected of being homosexual,
despite the fact that homosexuality is not explicitly outlawed in Egypt.
The aim of the Global Day of Action is both to raise
awareness of these human rights violations and to lobby national governments
to apply pressure on Egypt to take human rights seriously. ILGA-Europe
encourages its member organisations and the LGBT community at large to join
the activities organised at national level.
For further information and involvement in the event,
please contact:
Brian McDonnell, Amnesty International: btmcdonnell@hotmail.com
Al-Fatiha Foundation, USA: gaymuslims@yahoo.com
See also Amnesty International’s Worldwide Appeal on
Wissam Tawfiq Abyad and Zaki Sayid Zaki ‘Abd al-Malak http://www.web.amnesty.org/appeals/wwa/egypt-04-2003/
from April 2003.
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