Syrian refugee jailed in Egypt for online gay sex chat

A Syrian refugee in Egypt was sentenced Tuesday to a year in prison for allegedly soliciting gay sex over the internet, after police set up a sting operation to catch homosexuals online.

The refugee was convicted based on his chat history with an undercover officer from Egypt’s Morality Police, who posed as a gay man on social media, according to a Wednesday report in the Egypt Independent.

After arranging to meet with the officer, the man was arrested upon arrival. He was forced to undergo an anal examination, which found no evidence that he engaged in gay sex.

Nonetheless, the refugee was sentenced on a slew of charges, including “inciting debauchery” and “solicitation to commit immoral acts in public.”

The case comes amid a crackdown on the gay community in Egypt, and also recently on atheists, that has gone hand in hand with a wider campaign against all forms of dissent and diversity in a country gripped by rising nationalism and a militant insurgency.

Numerous human rights organizations have harshly criticized the recent clampdown, which among other things, has led to the arrest of more than 150 Egyptians suspected of being homosexual since President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi took office.

The defendant’s lawyer, Ahmed Hossam, denied allegations that his client engaged in gay sex, and called into question the legality of convicting a person for online activity.

“There wasn’t a crime in the first place. The crime was in the imagination of the officer himself. No debauchery happened. Second, sending personal messages is unconstitutional? Searching an innocent person isn’t allowed according to criminal procedure code in Egypt,” Hossam told the Independent, adding that an appeal for the case was immediately filed.

There was no immediate reaction from Egyptian authorities.

An activist told the Independent that the man failed to show to several previous planned meetings with the officer, who persisted in convincing him to meet in person, charging that it constituted entrapment.

While Egyptian law does not specifically outlaw homosexuality, those suspected of engaging in homosexual activity can be charged under the country’s morality laws which prohibit debauchery and other indecent public acts.

“It’s not about legal reasoning and facts in this case. Society considers the LGBT community sinners and forgoes professionalism to satisfy their urge to punish them,” Hossam charged.

In November, eight men were found guilty of “inciting debauchery” and spreading indecent images after circulating a video that appeared to show a marriage ceremony between two men.

A month later, 26 men were arrested for allegedly participating in a “gay sex party” at a Cairo bathhouse, with the police raid screened live on TV. Their arrests sparked international condemnation, and all the defendants were acquitted in January.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.