EGYPT: TV Host Imprisoned For Interviewing Gay Man

Agence France-Presse reports:

An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced a television host to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man last year, a judicial source said. Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

The misdemeanors court in Giza also fined him 3,000 Egyptian pounds and ordered he be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, said Samir Sabri, the lawyer who brought the case against him.

The verdict can be appealed, and it can be suspended if Gheiti pays bail of 1,000 pounds pending the outcome of the appeal, said Sabri.

The Independent reports:

During the controversial interview, the gay guest, whose face was blurred to protect his identity, revealed he was a sex worker and openly discussed his relationship with another man.

Although homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt, members of the LGBT+ community have previously been charged with debauchery in the deeply conservative Muslim country.

In 2017 the Supreme Council for Media Regulation council banned the appearance of homosexuals on any outlet after a rainbow flag was waved during a concert in Cairo by the Lebanese band Mashrou Leila, who have been outspoken about gay rights.