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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Men in Cairo Sentenced, Guilty of "Living While Gay" |
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by darby
(No verified email address) |
14 Nov 2001
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The world according to Bobby Meade?
It is sad that any civilized country would treat its citizens, whoever they are, in this horrendous manner.
23 of the original men arrested last May at a popular gay night spot in Cairo were sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison with hard labor today, despite protests from around the world. |
Today the verdicts and sentences were handed down to fifty-two Egyptian men arrested last May at a popular gay night-spot in Cairo. Twenty-three were sentenced to one to five years imprisonment and hard labor, while twenty-nine others were acquitted. "[We] believe that [the] men [were] convicted solely because of their alleged sexual orientation should be immediately and unconditionally released," said William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. "Not only did their trial likely violate basic international legal standards, we are also extremely concerned at reports of torture or ill-treatment during the first few days of detention and the denial of access to families and attorneys."
On Tuesday activists in DC and around the world held a vigil to keep the memory of the men alive, despite time and distance. "As they sit in their prison cells and we stand out here, we want them to know we stand in solidarity with them," said Faisal Alam, a founder of Al-Fatiha, a Muslim LGBT group which, along with Amnesty International’s OutFront, sponsored the vigil for the Cairo 52, who, among other things, were charged with "habitually practicing debauchery." A dozen activists overcame the frigid night to keep the memory of the Cairo 52 burning, as well as to draw attention to human rights abuses of LGBT people around the world.
Michael Hefflin, director of OutFront, invoked memory as a central theme of the evening saying, "We must keep the pledge, and not forget them." As the US has sought to gather an alliance in its "war against terrorism," many countries with dubious human rights records have been enlisted, including Egypt, the recipient of more US aid annually than any other country but Israel. "Especially post-9/11 we need to be more vigilant to hold governments accountable for the treatment of all their citizens," said Faisal, a sentiment echoed by James Terry, a local activist. "Human rights has almost nothing to do with how the US makes its military decisions," said James, who works at the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, referring to US government claims that it is fighting the Taliban because of its history of human rights abuses.
The mood of the vigil was subdued, a marked difference from an earlier demonstration in August for the Cairo 52, when the Secret Service and Metro Police got involved. "We might be a small group here, but we’re not operating alone," said Michael, and other spoke to the importance of using different approaches to reach more people with the message. Michael also said that simultaneous vigils and demonstrations were occurring around the world, complementing the over 25,000 letters and cards that have been sent to the prisoners in the last weeks.
Starting at the corner of P and 23 streets, where passing cars honked in support, the group, bearing candles and signs, moved to the Egyptian Cultural and Education Bureau on New Hampshire. Fifty-two candles were placed along the sidewalk and each member of the vigil, most stumbling through the pronunciation, read the names of the prisoners from leaflets, before attaching them to the fence in front of the building.
Faisal ended the ceremony by asking all to take "a moment to think of a face, a family, friends, behind the names," while fifty-two candle flames flickered in the November wind, as vulnerable as the souls they were representing. |
See also:
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=89945&group=webcast
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