Tampa Bay Coalition

Eye on GLBT News & Headlines

by R. Zeke Fread

March 22, 2002

House Wants Persecution of Gays Egyptians to End

On August 3, 2002, a letter signed by 35 members of the U.S. House of Representatives was

sent to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to express their very strong disapproval over the

arrest of 52 men in Egypt on the basis of their perceived sexual orientation. Mentioning they

were all strong supporters of United States aid to Egypt as well as active proponents of fair

treatment of lesbian and gay people. They described the decision of the Egyptian government

to prosecute in a state security court under Egypt's emergency laws, is indefensible. Although,

the Egyptian government was put on notice by this strongly worded letter that financial aide to

Egypt was dependent on by approval by Congressional approval. That, those signing the letter

were fully supportive of the right of gay and lesbian people to be free from discrimination and

violence and were apart of those involved in approving any aide. The Egyptian government did

not step in to stop the prosecution and 24 of the 52 gay Egyptian, were in fact declared guilty

and sentenced to between 1 to five years in prison at hard labor.

A letter sent in January, from Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy responding to the August congressional letter. He stated the men and were prosecuted for contempt of religion and

public lewdness, denying the men were arrested on the basis on their sexual orientation. That

the men's arrests were irrespective of sexual orientation.

His statement certainly doesn't seem to be very truthful. As the Egyptian governments continues

to persecution of gay men. With the arrest of an additional 5 more Egyptian gay men soon after

the imprisonment of the 24. And earlier this month, the five men were declared guilty of practicing sexual immorality and sentenced to three years in prison at hard labor.

On March 20th, a letter responding to the Ambassador's was sent to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. As with the letter sent in August, it was signed by a bipartisan coalition of 37 members

of the U.S. House of Representatives. Including were high ranking members of such committees

as the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Financial Services Subcommittee

on International Monetary Policy and Trade, International Relations Subcommittee on Human Rights,

and International Relations Committee. In this letter, it's was obvious they weren't convinced and were basically rejecting the Ambassador's explanation. The letter in part reads, "We are encouraged that Ambassador Fahmy in his letter officially denies that the 52 men in Cairo were prosecuted because of their perceived sexual orientation. We say we are encouraged because this denial recognizes that such actions are essentially indefensible. Followed with by the "But", Yet when one looks at the record of the trial, it seems to us that sexual orientation was in fact the motivating factor behind these prosecutions."

The letter very strongly urges the Egyptian President to stop the persecution of men based on sexual orientation and the release those men who are now in prison. They remind the President of a speech

he made in Washington, where he declared Egypt's "Commitment to a region of peace, of tolerance, free from oppression and injustice remains unshaken."

Here is a copy of the letter sent today to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak;