An Egyptian doctor, whose name has not been released, has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Cairo court after being accused of ‘practicing homosexual activity’, reported Youm7. The Qasr Al-Nil Court, headed by Wael Khedr, ruled that the doctor be sentenced to one year in prison with labour. According to Youm7, investigations initiated by the prosecutor of the case revealed that the doctor had started a ‘group’ on WhatsApp to attract those who ‘want to practice immorality’ and to meet with those who intended to ‘practice debauchery’. The report by the private newspaper added that an investigation had been commenced after ‘morality police’ received information about a doctor practicing homosexual activity. Homosexuality in Egypt Egypt’s constitution does not have laws banning homosexuality. Yet, in the past offences such as “violating the teachings of religion” and “moral depravity” were used to arrest, and imprison individuals accused of taking part in homosexual acts. The association between the Internet and social media applications and homosexuality is not new; according to a BuzzFeed report published last year, the Egyptian government increased its Internet surveillance. Around the same time, the gay dating…
