Rabow raids: Egypt lnch s wist anti-gay crackdown yet | Rters

Contents:

• GAY TRAVEL EGYPT
• 'YOU N'T BE OUT': GAY EGYPTIANS NTUE TO FEAR PERSECUTN
• ARRTS AND TORTURE OF GAYS, LBIANS EGYPT ARE ‘SYSTEMATIC,’ RIGHTS REPORT SAYS
• EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS SYSTEMILLY ABE AND TORTURE GAYS, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS
• RABOW RAIDS: EGYPT LNCH S WIST ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN YET
• IN DIALOGUE WH EGYPT, EXPERTS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMTEE COMMEND MEASUR COMBATTG DISCRIMATN, RAISE ISSU CONCERNG TREATMENT OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND INTERSEX PERSONS AND JUDICIAL INPENNCE
• LIVG FEAR: EGYPT’S GAY MUNY
• EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI

GAY TRAVEL EGYPT

Homosexualy⚢✖ Illegal (other penalty)Gay Marriage⚭✖ UnregnizedCensorship✖ Imprisonment as punishmentChangg Genr✖ Legal, but requir surgeryNon-bary genr regnn✖ Not legally regnizedDiscrimatn✖ No protectnsEmployment Discrimatn✖ No protectnsHog Discrimatn✖ No protectnsDonatg Blood✖ Banned (fe ferral)Conversn Therapy✖ Not banned. N/A Age of Consent is unequal/applible practice, same-genr sexual behavr is punished by ernmental offils, meang that both age and nsent are irrelevant to the illegaly of homosexualy Egypt.

(Beit) – Egyptian police and Natnal Secury Agency officers arbrarily arrt lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people and ta them human ndns, systematilly subject them to ill-treatment cludg torture, and often ce fellow mat to abe them, Human Rights Watch said today. Human rights groups have documented wi-sle ab the wake of a September 2017 ncert by the Lebane band Mashrou’ Leila, whose lead sger is openly gay and which performs songs that support sexual and genr diversy. Gay Travel Tips EgyptNow that you’re good and sred, ’s time to say, don’t let that stop you om visg a untry that’s sanely rich amazg templ and tombs of the ancient world.

Egypt's anti-gay crackdown ma headl last September, but one year later, human-rights advot and LGBTQ Egyptians say the persecutn 18, 2018, 4:00 PM UTCOmar* is a 30-year-old physician livg Alexandria, Egypt, the untry’s send largt cy. ”A fan of Lebane alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila holds a rabow flag durg their ncert at the Ehniyat Internatnal Ftival Ehn town, Lebanon on Augt 12, Saidi / Rters fileHomosexualy is not explicly illegal this untry that bridg northeast Ai wh the Middle East, but people are routely arrted and imprisoned on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientatn and genr inty, acrdg to Amnty September was the worst crackdown the untry’s history, wh up to 76 people beg taed, acrdg to the human-rights anizatn. EGYPTIAN LAWWhile same-sex sexual relatns are not explicly prohibed Egyptian law, a 2017 report by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA) found that “the Law on the Combatg of Prostutn, and the law agast bchery have been ed liberally to imprison gay men recent years.

'YOU N'T BE OUT': GAY EGYPTIANS NTUE TO FEAR PERSECUTN

”“The ernment has targeted sexual and genr mori for heavy-hand reprsn, wh more than 230 lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people prosecuted on ‘bchery’ charg, ” the anizatn Magdi, a rearcher for Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Ai divisn, told NBC News the ternatnal muny should be dog more to protect LGBTQ Egyptians.

However, a new report by OutRight Actn Internatnal, a global LGBTQ-rights anizatn, found Egypt to be one of 55 untri the world where LGBTQ-rights groups are not able to legally register, which impes the effectivens of the current polil suatn Europe has also disuraged gay Egyptians, like Omar, om seekg a new — and ls fearful — life the Wt. CAIRO — The Egyptian ernment ntu to target gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people a "systematic fashn" through arbrary arrts, torture and other forms of abe, cludg forced "virgy tts, " Human Rights Watch said watchdog group acced police personnel and officers of Egypt’s Natnal Secury Agency of routely pickg up spected LGBT people off the streets and tag them “human ndns, ” often after illegally searchg their phon.

ARRTS AND TORTURE OF GAYS, LBIANS EGYPT ARE ‘SYSTEMATIC,’ RIGHTS REPORT SAYS

While homosexualy is not illegal Egypt, thori have been g a 1960s anti-prostutn law that ntas a clse agast “bchery, ” which Egyptian urts have terpreted to clu the weeks followg the 2017 Mashrou’ Leila ncert, thori arrted sr of LGBT people and hand out harsh prison sentenc, promptg the U.

” The report’s ma fdgs clu arbrary arrts of people thought to be LGBTQ; entrapment of gay and bisexual men through social workg and datg apps; and torture and prolonged tament of sexual and genr mori state ctody.

EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS SYSTEMILLY ABE AND TORTURE GAYS, RIGHTS GROUP SAYS

Their acunts allege systemic abe throughout the judicial system Egypt, one of approximately 70 untri around the globe that crimaliz homosexualy — whether explicly or jt but three of those prosecuted went by psdonyms the report, for fear of retaliatn by Egyptian thori. Egypt is one of seven untri that forced anal exams to “prove” a person’s homosexualy, acrdg to Human Rights Ahmed, a 27-year-old transgenr man arrted 2019 and released last month, was placed a women’s prison where he was given an ID rd that said “female” and nied his genr-affirmg treatment, acrdg to the report. A change powerWhile LGBTQ people have long been subjected to homophobia and transphobia Egypt, Youn said the suatn worsened after s current print, Abl-Fattah el-Sissi, took power 2014.

RABOW RAIDS: EGYPT LNCH S WIST ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN YET

Government monorgYoun said Egyptian thori actively monor social media and cy streets to crackdown on LGBTQ people and others who are prottg or anizg for civil rights, all of which are labeled as subversn or even Rights Watch said police will set up fake profil masqueradg as gay men on datg apps like Grdr and social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp an attempt to meet public or learn the nam and meetg plac of other queer people for future raids and arrts. Queer people will often talk for months onle before agreeg to meet public, bee — addn to police — they know that rapists, thiev and blackmailers also target gay men on the apps, knowg they won’t go to police if they’re attacked, acrdg to Human Rights Watch. Increasgly, he said, Egyptian lears are parrotg “moral” and psdoscientific rhetoric ed by Christian nservativ the Wt, accg queer people of recg children and stroyg humany or claimg homosexualy as a disease or mental illns that harms the immune system and fects said the Egyptian ernment regularly ni reports of human rights ab as pletely fabrited.

To the world, you’ve been greatly cel, but I five, ” Hegazy wrote the note, which was published part The New York attend a memorial for Sarah Hegazy Amsterdam on June 19, Arroyo Fernanz / NurPhoto via Getty ImagKhalid said queer Egyptians worldwi share a sense of shock and trma around her story, knowg n happen to themselv and their said supporters of LGBTQ rights — whether private dividuals or ernment officials — have a role to play protectg lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people enurag the ternatnal muny to support, promote and empower Egyptian LGBTQ anizatns by helpg to provi fundg and secure platforms where they n nnect and anize.

REUTERS/Jamal Saidi/File PhotoThe 28-year-old ni wavg the flag but is one of 57 people arrted so far Egypt’s wist anti-gay crackdown yet, a swift zero-tolerance rponse to a rare show of public support for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) rights the nservative Mlim crackdown as Egypt, a key Wtern ally the Middle East, is unr fire for s human rights rerd and the Uned Stat has whheld some of s $1. Spected gay male tae are subject to forced anal exams to terme if they have had homosexual sex, a procre human rights groups say amounts to least five such examatns have taken place, Amnty Internatnal says. Egyptian thori do not ny gog after gays and an vtigatn report provid to Rters by the Egyptian Iniative for Personal Rights (EIPR) openly refers to the police’s mpaign on, state-aligned media, and the relig tablishment all see as a public duty to bat the spread of men have already gone on trial durg the recent sweep and received jail sentenc om one to six BACKLASHOn Sept.

IN DIALOGUE WH EGYPT, EXPERTS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMTEE COMMEND MEASUR COMBATTG DISCRIMATN, RAISE ISSU CONCERNG TREATMENT OF LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENR AND INTERSEX PERSONS AND JUDICIAL INPENNCE

22, at a ncert packed wh 30, 000 people headled by Mashrou’ Leila, a Lebane alternative rock band whose lead sger is openly gay, a small group of ncert goers raised a rabow flag and, wh hours, the image went immediately lol media, domated by state-aligned televisn personali, began a mpaign agast homosexuals, sayg they were receivg foreign fundg, and hostg llers who pared their threat to Islamic ’s media regulator then banned homosexuals om appearg the media unls they were “repentg”, llg homosexualy a “shame and a disease that should be kept unr wraps, not promoted” orr to protect public, Egypt’s 1, 000-year-old center of Islamic learng, said would stand agast gays the way stands agast Islamist extremists. One church anized an anti-gay Prosecutor Nabil Sak orred the State Secury Prosecutn, which normally vtigat terrorism and other natnal secury threats, to vtigate the flag least four people, cludg Hegazy and 21-year-old Ahmed Alaa, were arrted for allegedly raisg the flag although one man has sce been overwhelmg majory of those arrted are not volved the flag se, however, and have simply been arrted over their perceived sexual orientatn the followg have raid hom, parti, and ed onle datg apps to lure gay men - a mon tactic Egypt - to arrt most of them, their lawyers a Cairo urthoe fendants stood a ge, holdg up newspapers and books to hi their fac to shield themselv om the stigma of homosexualy Egyptian CRACKDOWN YETAlthough homosexualy is not specifilly outlawed Egypt, is a nservative society and discrimatn is rife. Gay men are equently arrted and typilly charged wh bchery, immoraly or last parable crackdown on homosexuals Egypt was 2001, when police raid a floatg dis lled the Queen Boat.

General Assembly’s High Level Meetg on Endg men and rights activists say the LGBT muny has been facg an aggrsive crackdown sce 2013, when Print Abl Fattah al-Sisi as ary chief oted Mlim Brotherhood print Mohamed has documented 232 s between October 2013 and March 2017 where people were arrted for allegedly beg gay or transgenr, Abd Elhameed said. Five gay men who all requted anonymy said they were avoidg gay-iendly spac and letg onle datg profil for fear of are nsirg leavg the the recent velopments unrsre an existg realy for gay Egyptians: they are nstant physil danger.

LIVG FEAR: EGYPT’S GAY MUNY

A 31-year-old gay man reunted how he was tied up and beaten at his Cairo flat last year by two men who threatened to kill him after meetg through the gay datg app posed as police officers at some pot, playg on a mon fear for gay Egyptians, before stealg ems om his flat. The Human Rights Commtee this morng nclud s nsiratn of the fifth perdic report of Egypt on how implements the provisns of the Internatnal Covenant on Civil and Polil Rights, wh Commtee Experts mendg progrs on battg discrimatn, and raisg issu ncerng police treatment of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex persons and judicial pennce, particularly regardg Terrorism Circu Courts. Although do not explicly crimalize same-sex relatns, was ed to jtify the arrt and subsequent imprisonment of gay men begng the 1990s and other LGBTQ persons later on.

” In the wake of the Mashrou’ Leila ncert 2017, members of Egypt’s parliament proposed a draft law that would have crimalized acts of homosexualy more explicly, as well as acts of support for the LGBTQ muny; the law was never passed. In 2014, Egyptian secury forc raid a bath hoe after receivg rmatn om a lol televisn statn that “gay i” were reportedly takg place si the bs; the televisn statn filmed the raid. In late 2017, the Supreme Council for Media Regulatn banned any media mentns or verage of LGBTQ issu unls the verage tailed the “danger” of homosexualy and sexual viancy.

EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEG GAY MLIM UNTRI

For example, the Orthodox Coptic Church anized a nference lled “Volno of Homosexualy, ” followg the Mashrou’ Leila ncert 2017, when ncertgoers unfurled a rabow flag. ” So there were two fights: there was one happeng at the level of Egyptian society, and another one takg place wh the gay muny wh a lot of them turng agast those who raised the flag. Cambanis: So a secular activist would be willg to speak out agast the tag of an extremist Islamist who don’t even regnize secular rights, but they wouldn’t fend a gay person beg persecuted?

Whether they are activists for relig eedoms or Syrian leftists, there are a whole group of people who end up makg the argument that their unter-narrative to the regime’s narrative of rights is too tenuo to make room for somethg as radil or unpopular as gay rights. Cambanis: I would argue that any reform or other movement that purports to be about rights but that don’t make room for women’s rights, gay rights, and transgenr rights is more or ls doomed to replite the thorarianism of the existg regime. This is a reference to Columbia Universy Profsor Joseph Massad, most notable for his book Dirg Arabs (Chigo: Universy of Chigo Prs, 2008) and age of the term “gay Internatnal” to characterize the universalizatn of gay rights as a nefar form of Wtern imperialism.