Prison sentences reduced for men in Egyptian gay wedding video
By Josh Haggis
An Egyptian court of appeals has reduced the prison sentences of eight men accused of appearing in a gay wedding video.
The men were arrested in September when a video apparently showing them celebrating a gay wedding on a boat cruising down the River Nile was discovered by Egyptian authorities after being posted on YouTube and going viral on social media.
In November, the Qasr al-Nil Misdemeanour Court sentenced the eight men to three years in prison on charges of “inciting debauchery” and “offending public morality.”
Following a successful appeal this month (December), all of the eight men have had their sentences reduced to one year in prison, according to The Independent.
Homosexuality is legal in Egypt, but the country’s 1961 Anti-Prostitution Law states that people found guilty of “inciting debauchery and immorality” can be sentenced to anything between three and five years in prison.
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