On April 9, an Egyptian court sentenced five men to three years of jail time for “the habitual practice of debauchery”—a charge human rights groups say is used to describe homosexual sex—Reuters reports (reuters.com, 4/9).
Four of the five men are HIV positive. The men were also fined 300 Egyptian pounds, or $55. According to human rights groups, Egyptian authorities have detained a total of 12 men since October, in what they are saying is a growing crackdown against HIV-positive Egyptians. Besides the five men convicted on April 9, another four men were convicted on similar charges earlier this year.
“These convictions are clearly based on ignorance and fear of AIDS rather than on any crime committed,” said Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
New York-based Human Rights Watch says that the men were tested for HIV without their consent. There are also charges that some of the men were beaten, chained to hospital beds and forcibly examined to see if they had engaged in homosexual sex.
However, the article notes that Egypt has made some strides in the fight against HIV. For example, the Health Ministry has offered free HIV drugs to those in need since 2005, Reuters reports.
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Queenie
