Twenty-six Egyptian gays were acquitted on Monday by a court here for inciting debauchery in a Cairo bath house, in a case that triggered global outcry. The men were arrested last month after eight of them were jailed for appearing in a video alleged to show a gay marriage. The 21 suspected gays, the owner of the bath house and four assistants were then referred to trial on charges of inciting debauchery.
The men in the bath house raid faced various charges, including debauchery and performing indecent public acts. On investigations, they denied charges. Rights groups have repeatedly condemned the police action and the arrest.They also criticised authorities for performing anal testing on the defendants.
“They destroyed our lives. God rescued us,” said one of the defendants. “I was both shocked and delighted and hope this is a sign that these raids will come to an end, said Scott long, an American researcher who had followed the case. “Finally there was a judge who listened to the evidence, he said.” Egypt’s biggest arrest of homosexuals was in May 2001, when 52 men were arrested from the Queen Boat nightclub on the Nile in central Cairo.
Twenty-three were sentenced to jail terms up to five years, in a case that sparked international criticism. Egyptian law does not expressly ban homosexuality, but gay men have previously been arrested and charged with debauchery instead.