Egypt sentences TV host to jail over gay interview

An Egyptian court has sentenced a television host to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man last year, a judicial source says.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

The misdemeanors court in Giza also fined him 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($147), and ordered he be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, said Samir Sabri, the lawyer who brought the case against him.

The verdict can be appealed, and it can be suspended if Gheiti pays bail of 1,000 pounds pending the outcome of the appeal, says Sabri.

In August 2018, Gheiti hosted a gay man on his talk show on the private LTC TV station and discussed homosexuality on air.

During the interview, the gay man, whose face was blurred to hide his identity, said he was a sex worker and openly talked about his relationship with another man.

After the interview was aired, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Egypt’s top media body, suspended the channel for two weeks for “professional violations.”

— AFP