reuters report on continuing trial

Egypt court reviews photos in suspected gays case CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters)

An Egyptian court reconvened in the controversial trial of 52 suspected homosexual men on Wednesday to hear arguments about 900 photographs which prosecutors say depict the men in indecent positions. Police arrested the men in May during a Nile River raid on a floating nightclub called the "Queen Boat" known locally as a popular gay venue.

Their trial, in its third monthly session since it began in July, has drawn sharp criticism from international rights groups which say the men are being tried for their sexual orientation and freedom of speech and association. They are accused of sexual immorality and forming a group that propagated extremist ideas and denigrated Islam. On Wednesday, lawyers were due to comment on evidence released after the last session on August 15, including 893 photos which prosecutors said showed the men in indecent positions. Defense lawyer Taher Abu Nasr, representing four of the accused, told Reuters the pictures were seized from the homes of two defendants. They show men "in indecent positions," he said, but added that only about five of the accused are among them.

All 52, who pleaded not guilty, face charges of "practicing sexual immorality" -- seen locally as a euphemism for homosexuality -- with a maximum penalty of three years. The two main defendants face additional charges of "forming a group which aims to exploit the Islamic religion to propagate extremist ideas" And "denigrating monotheistic religions," which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The case, which has received extensive coverage in the local as well as international media, has aroused strong passions in conservative Egypt, where homosexuality is regarded as a taboo but is not expressly prohibited by law. Egyptian papers routinely refer to the case as "the homosexual trial," even though homosexuality is not referred to explicitly among the charges. During the last session, gay rights campaigners protested at the United Nations buildings in Geneva and outside the Egyptian Embassy's Cultural and Educational Bureau in Washington. International rights groups have criticized the decision to try the men in a state security court under Egypt's emergency laws, which have been in place since 1981 to counter Muslim militant violence.

Copyright 2001 Reuters