The Egyptian government continues to arrest and routinely torture men suspected of consensual homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
“The prohibition against torture is absolute and universal, regardless of the victim,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “Accepting torture of unpopular victims - whether for their political opinions or their sexual conduct - makes it easier for the government to use this despicable practice on many others.”
The 144-page report, “In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice in Egypt’s Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct,” documents the Egyptian government’s increasing repression of men who have sex with men.
Today, Egyptian police use wiretaps and a growing web of informers to conduct raids on private homes or seize suspects on the street, the report said. Undercover police agents arrange meetings with men through chat rooms and personal advertisements on the Internet and then arrest them, Human Rights Watch said. (Albawaba.com)
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