The Azbakeya Appeals Court denied Monday the prosecution's appeal on the verdict of the acquittal of the 26 defendants in the ‘Ramsis bathhouse' case. Tarek Al-Awadi, the defendants' lawyer said the court confirmed the acquittal based on the lack of evidence. The court also cited a lack of clarity in the case papers and the forensic department's report. It added that although the report announced three of the defendants were "sexually assaulted", it was unclear whether the incident took place inside the bathhouse or not. The defendants were arrested on 7 December, when Egyptian anti-vice police raided the bathhouse, causing a wave of condemnation by activists and human rights commentators. In another case, last December a Cairo appeal court reduced the sentence given to eight defendants charged with "perversion and offending public morals", from an initial sentence of three years. The defendants were previously given the three year sentence after being found guilty of "inciting debauchery". The sentence was passed after a video of an unofficial same-sex wedding showing the two defendants allegedly celebrating their marriage on a boat went viral on social media. The sentences were heavily criticised by international rights group Human Rights Watch.
