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Egypt 'torturing HIV sufferers' | Egypt 'torturing HIV sufferers' |
(10 minutes later) | |
HIV-positive Egyptian men are tortured and chained to hospital beds while awaiting unfair homosexuality trials, a human rights group has claimed. | HIV-positive Egyptian men are tortured and chained to hospital beds while awaiting unfair homosexuality trials, a human rights group has claimed. |
Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the "ignorance and injustice" of a case in which a group of arrested men were given HIV tests without their consent. | Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the "ignorance and injustice" of a case in which a group of arrested men were given HIV tests without their consent. |
They were also subjected to anal tests to "prove" their homosexual conduct. | They were also subjected to anal tests to "prove" their homosexual conduct. |
Two of the men tested HIV-positive and are now handcuffed to hospital beds for 23 hours a day, HRW said. | Two of the men tested HIV-positive and are now handcuffed to hospital beds for 23 hours a day, HRW said. |
"These men have been subjected to anal examination without their consent which amounts to torture," Gasser Abdel-Razek, HRW's acting director of regional relations in the Middle East, told the BBC on Wednesday. | "These men have been subjected to anal examination without their consent which amounts to torture," Gasser Abdel-Razek, HRW's acting director of regional relations in the Middle East, told the BBC on Wednesday. |
"Egypt should release the men unconditionally and put a system in place that does not deal with HIV-positive individuals as criminals but as patients who require medical care and attention." | "Egypt should release the men unconditionally and put a system in place that does not deal with HIV-positive individuals as criminals but as patients who require medical care and attention." |
Egypt's Interior Ministry had no immediate comment on the case. | Egypt's Interior Ministry had no immediate comment on the case. |
'Ignorance and injustice' | 'Ignorance and injustice' |
Two of the men were arrested in October after a scuffle in central Cairo and when one said he was HIV-positive they were taken to the police branch which deals with issues of public morality. | Two of the men were arrested in October after a scuffle in central Cairo and when one said he was HIV-positive they were taken to the police branch which deals with issues of public morality. |
Both men claim they were beaten for refusing to sign statements written by the police. | Both men claim they were beaten for refusing to sign statements written by the police. |
These cases show Egyptian police acting on the dangerous belief that HIV is... a crime to be punished Scott Long, Human Rights Watch | These cases show Egyptian police acting on the dangerous belief that HIV is... a crime to be punished Scott Long, Human Rights Watch |
Two more men were arrested when police found their photographs and contact numbers in the wallets of those detained. | Two more men were arrested when police found their photographs and contact numbers in the wallets of those detained. |
All four men, who have not been identified, remain in custody pending a prosecutor's decision on possible charges. | All four men, who have not been identified, remain in custody pending a prosecutor's decision on possible charges. |
Scott Long, director of the US-based group's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Programme, said the arrests "embody both ignorance and injustice". | Scott Long, director of the US-based group's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Programme, said the arrests "embody both ignorance and injustice". |
"These cases show Egyptian police acting on the dangerous belief that HIV is not a condition to be treated but a crime to be punished," he said. | "These cases show Egyptian police acting on the dangerous belief that HIV is not a condition to be treated but a crime to be punished," he said. |
'Habitual debauchery' convictions | 'Habitual debauchery' convictions |
Four further arrests were made in November when police raided the flat of one of those being held, which had been placed under surveillance. | Four further arrests were made in November when police raided the flat of one of those being held, which had been placed under surveillance. |
Those four men were sentenced to one year in jail in January having been convicted of "habitual debauchery", which Human Rights Watch says is a euphemism used to penalise consensual homosexual acts. | Those four men were sentenced to one year in jail in January having been convicted of "habitual debauchery", which Human Rights Watch says is a euphemism used to penalise consensual homosexual acts. |
Their lawyers claimed the prosecution had produced no evidence against the defendants, who pleaded not guilty. | Their lawyers claimed the prosecution had produced no evidence against the defendants, who pleaded not guilty. |
While not explicitly referred to in Egypt's legal code, homosexuality can be punished under several different laws covering obscenity, prostitution and debauchery. | While not explicitly referred to in Egypt's legal code, homosexuality can be punished under several different laws covering obscenity, prostitution and debauchery. |
Egypt has come under repeated criticism by both human rights groups and the international community for its treatment of homosexual people. |
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