The renowned Egyptian director Yousef Shahin described the homosexual case in Egypt as “diverting the attention of the public from the economic crisis in the country.”
About the protests abroad sparked by convicting 23 Egyptians with libertinism, Shahin told AFP, “my understanding of the problem is that they put homosexuals in the prison to divert the people’s attention from the economic crisis in the country.”
The 1997 Cannes film festival, 50th, prize-winning director added, “every time there is an economic problem, we seek to hide it through creating a certain scandal.”
“There is nothing in the Egyptian laws that bans homosexuality. It is not possible to base judging in such cases on any law and so I wonder about the real motives behind convicting these people,” added Shahin.
Meanwhile, a number of renowned French stars including Catherine Deneuve and Juliet Binoche protested against trying homosexuals in Egypt. About six thousand persons from France signed on the protest list, which was submitted by the French musician Jane Michelle Jar to the Egyptian ambassador to France Ali Maher.
“I do not know about the list but I would say that they have done a good job,” said Shahin adding that he could not follow up the case, as he wanted -- Albawaba.com
