Prosecutors alleged the men had participated in a gay wedding, which sparked a media backlash after footage from the ceremony emerged on YouTube this month. Members of Egypt’s gay community believe at least 35 other men were also seized from public places, as police mounted a dragnet operation to gather information about the identity of those in the video.
Described online as Egypt’s “first gay marriage”, the footage showed two men embracing, exchanging rings and celebrating with their friends on a small boat on the Nile – a scene that scandalised conservative Egypt.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group ousted by Egypt’s current regime last summer, have used the footage to claim their overthrow has led to the destruction of Egyptian values. “The coup leaders have adopted the west’s agenda,” tweeted former Brotherhood MP, Azza al-Garf, who said Egypt had been turned into a “place of sin”.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt, but it is a social taboo, and allegedly gay men have often been arrested on charges of immorality. In the most notorious example, 52 men were arrested in 2001 for their perceived sexuality, in what became known as the Queen Boat case.