Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat ordered Saturday nine men suspected of participating in an alleged same-sex wedding party to be held in preventative detention and examined by the forensics department. In a Saturday statement, Barakat said the suspects, who featured in a video showing two males celebrating their marriage on a boat, will be charged with "inciting debauchery". "The video which dates back to last April, contains footage that violates public decency", the statement read, and "harms the society". After investigating the video, which the statement described as showing "a devilish shameless party", the prosecution was able to identify the suspects and the location of the boat. Although Egyptian law does not directly forbid homosexuality, major crackdowns on homosexuals took place with charges of "violating teachings of religion and public morals". In 2001, more than 50 males were arrested on a boat on charges related to homosexual acts and "Satanism", with some receiving prison sentences. In October 2013, prosecutors ordered fourteen suspects be detained on allegations they committed "homosexual acts" in a medical centre in the El-Marg neighbourhood of Cairo, and to undergo medical tests. Suspects accused of homosexuality are frequently forced to undergo medical tests to ensure they are "habitual" homosexuals, a practice condemned by rights groups. Last April, an Egyptian court sentenced four men to up to eight years in prison for practicing debauchery.
