Egypt envoy defends verdict over gays

Date: 21/03/02

By Martin Banks

THE Egyptian ambassador to the EU has defended his country's treatment of 23 men imprisoned for alleged homosexual offences.

The Egyptians were among 52 men who were arrested on the Queen Boat on the Nile and charged with the 'habitual practice of debauchery'.

Twenty-nine were cleared but 23 were found guilty and imprisoned for between one and five years. The affair has provoked widespread international concern with human rights campaigners saying it is a flagrant example of the Egyptian state's persecution of gay men.

Soliman Awaad, the Egyptian ambassador, defended the men's conviction during a debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday (19 March). He said they had shown 'contempt' for Islamic law and denied the case implied that Egypt discriminated against gays and lesbians.

'Are we saying that a certain category of person should be above the law? I think not,' he said.

However, Socialist MEP Michael Cashman, a leading gay rights campaigner, called for the men to be pardoned or granted right to appeal.

He said: 'There must be an investigation into the police activities up to and including the detention of these men. If there is no satisfactory response we will launch a world-wide petition, rolling from country to country, and call for a suspension of the EU's Association Agreement with Egypt,' he said.

'If dialogue fails to achieve a resolution, we must cease aid and trade. We cannot bankroll human rights abuses. The Egyptian authorities may have locked up the men involved but they have not locked up the issue,' he added.

A petition protesting at the men's treatment, with signatories including Elton John and acclaimed actors Anthony Sher and Ian McKellen, was handed to Awaad at the meeting.

The Egyptian ambassador to the EU has defended his country's treatment of 23 men imprisoned for alleged homosexual offences.