Arcigay will demonstrate on Wednesday, November 14, in front of the gates of the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, against the trial of 52 Egyptians arrested last May in Cairo on charges of "contempt of religion" and "immoral behavior." Arcigay, along with leading international human rights organizations, believes that most of the defendants are being prosecuted solely because of their sexual orientation. One of them, Mamhud, a 16-year-old boy, has already been sentenced to three years of hard labor and three years of probation.
The final hearing in the case of the remaining 51 defendants and the court's verdict are scheduled for Wednesday, November 14. The trial is being conducted by the High Court for State Security, a special court established to counter the fundamentalist and terrorist tendencies of certain fanatical Islamic groups. Its rulings are final.
“"It is unacceptable," commented Sergio Lo Giudice, national president of Arcigay, "that people, including a teenager, are arrested and tried for their alleged homosexuality. Equally serious is that the sentence is handed down by a special court, established to combat religious deviations in support of Islamic fanaticism and terrorism, in contradiction to international legal standards that provide for the appeal of sentences.".
The public demonstration, scheduled for 4:00 PM on Wednesday afternoon at the entrance to the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, at Via Salaria 267, will also include a delegation of the Italian Radicals, including their national secretary Daniele Capezzone, and a delegation of parliamentarians, including the Honorable Franco Grillini, a historic leader of the Italian gay movement, and the Honorable Titti de Simone, president of Arcilesbica.
Arcigay will demonstrate on Wednesday, November 14, in front of the gates of the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, against the trial of 52 Egyptians arrested last May in Cairo on charges of "contempt of religion" and "immoral behavior." Arcigay, along with leading international human rights organizations, believes that most of the defendants are being prosecuted solely because of their sexual orientation. One of them, Mamhud, a 16-year-old boy, has already been sentenced to three years of hard labor and three years of probation.
The final hearing in the case of the remaining 51 defendants and the court's verdict are scheduled for Wednesday, November 14. The trial is being conducted by the High Court for State Security, a special court established to counter the fundamentalist and terrorist tendencies of certain fanatical Islamic groups. Its rulings are final.
“"It is unacceptable," commented Sergio Lo Giudice, national president of Arcigay, "that people, including a teenager, are arrested and tried for their alleged homosexuality. Equally serious is that the sentence is handed down by a special court, established to combat religious deviations in support of Islamic fanaticism and terrorism, in contradiction to international legal standards that provide for the appeal of sentences.".
The public demonstration, scheduled for 4:00 PM on Wednesday afternoon at the entrance to the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, at Via Salaria 267, will also include a delegation of the Italian Radicals, including their national secretary Daniele Capezzone, and a delegation of parliamentarians, including the Honorable Franco Grillini, a historic leader of the Italian gay movement, and the Honorable Titti de Simone, president of Arcilesbica.
