An Egyptian court has sentenced a TV host to one year of hard labor for interviewing a gay man on his own network last year.
Mohamed al-Ghiety was found guilty of “promoting homosexuality” for conducting the interview with the man — whose identity was hidden — about his life as a sex worker, reports BBC.
Al-Ghiety was also fined 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167) and will be under surveillance for one year after serving time for the interview, which took place in August 2018.
BBC also reports that al-Ghiety has “voiced homophobic views on a number of occasions” but interviewed the man who “expressed regret over his sexuality and described life as a prostitute.”
Following the interview, the channel was taken off air for two weeks by the Supreme Council of Media Regulation, for “professional violations.”
The prosecutor in the case, Samir Sabry, is known for taking celebrities to court, and reportedly accused al-Ghiety of revealing there are financial benefits for “practicing homosexuality.”
Homosexuality is not criminalized in Egypt although the LGBT community has been recently targeted, including homosexuals being banned from appearing on media outlets after a rainbow flag was raised in Cairo at a concert in 2017. Instead, the government cites anti-prostitution laws, BBC reports. Following the concert, 75 people were reportedly arrested and 14 men were found guilty of “inciting debauchery” and “abnormal sexual relations” in 2017.
A bill was drafted in November of 2017 that would criminalize same-sex relations in Egypt and was supported by more than 60 members of the Egyptian parliament, reports Amnesty International. The bill proposes that the penalty be up to five years in prison for “promoting or inciting homosexuality” and up to fifteen years for multiple charges. Promoting LGBT parties and gatherings could also lead to a three-year prison sentence under the proposed law.
This is not the only time Egypt has recently policed public figures’ behavior. Actress Rania Youssef is facing possible jail time over wearing a revealing dress last month to the Cairo Film Festival, according to BBC. Youssef, who is also being prosecuted by Sabry, was accused of “inciting debauchery” by wearing the lacey black dress with see-through material that showed off most of her legs. Youssef has since apologized for wearing the dress, claiming that she didn’t think it would cause controversy since she has worn it before and that she reaffirms her “commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society.”
Egypt also came into controversy last month when the government voted down a referendum to remove religious affiliation from their government-issued ID cards, The Daily Wire’s Jacob Airey reports:
Egypt has forced its citizens to identify their religious affiliations since the 1950s, a move that many have suggested makes it easier to target religious minorities. The proposed bill would have ended that requirement. It received widespread support from human rights groups within the country who were disappointed by its defeat.
The head of policy for the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms Sherif Azer told the Morning Star News, “Whenever there is a situation that requires showing your ID … you would be categorized right away.”
Azer added he thinks it was voted down out of fear of inter-faith marriages and other ‘societal’ problems perceived by the mostly Islamic legislature.
“This is something no … conservative or even moderate Muslim would accept,” Azer said speaking of Christian men marrying Muslim women.
“They would never say it specifically, but they would say it in the context that taking off the religion from the ID would cause chaos and would cause some social problems and will bring issues that we are not willing to face,” he added.
Christians, Muslims, and Jews are required to include their religious affiliation on their government ID cards. No other religion is listed as a choice for those applying for an ID.