Egyptian security forces arrested at least 25 men suspected of homosexuality at a bath house in downtown Cairo on Sunday, dragging them out of the building naked, according to the Associated Press.
Homosexuality is not technically illegal in Egypt, but it is clear that the government is doing all it can to punish those suspected of participating in homosexual acts.
Last month, eight men were sentenced to three years in prison on charges of "inciting debauchery" after appearing on video at an alleged same-sex wedding party. Suspected homosexuals are often accused of "shameless public acts" or "spreading AIDS in Egypt."
In this Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 file photo, eight Egyptian men convicted for "inciting debauchery" following their appearance in a video of an alleged same-sex wedding party on a Nile boat leave the defendant's cage in a courtroom in Cairo, Egypt. An Egyptian official says security forces raided a bath house and arrested 25 men for homosexuality, dragging them naked out of the building in downtown Cairo. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
The BBC, which reports that 33 men were arrested at the bath house on Sunday, has more on the story:
The 33 were arrested "for practicing debauchery," General Ali al-Demerdash, head of the Cairo security directorate, said.Among those arrested was the bathhouse owner, AFP reports.
"The bathhouse owner is accused of turning the facility into a site of immoral and indecent conduct and group homosexuality", the agency quotes Mohamed Hetta, head of the local prosecution office, as saying.
Rights groups have condemned Egypt's treatment of gay people, in particular the use of anal testing to determine whether people are homosexual.
The International Business Times reports that gay rights supporters have taken to social media in recent months to protest the government's treatment of homosexuals with the hashtag "StandForEgyptLGBT."
