From March 10, 2008
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Egypt: New Indictments in HIV Crackdown
Persecuting People Living With HIV/AIDS Feeds the Epidemic
(New York, March 11, 2008) – The Egyptian government's new indictments against several men arrested apparently on suspicion of having HIV violate their basic rights and deeply undermine Egypt's fight against HIV/AIDS, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called on Egyptian officials to quash the indictments and overturn the convictions of four others who were sentenced in February 2008 to one-year prison terms.
On March 4, 2008, Cairo prosecutors handed down indictments against five men on charges of "habitual practice of debauchery," a term used under Egyptian law to prosecute consensual sexual acts between men. One of them faces an additional charge of facilitating the practice of debauchery for the other men. The trial date is set for March 12. The charges were dropped for three other men.
Before issuing the indictment, the lead prosecutor told a lawyer for the defendants that the men should not be allowed to "roam the streets freely" because the government considered them "a danger to public health."
"These misguided prosecutions reveal official ignorance and prejudice about HIV," said Joseph Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS Program at Human Rights Watch. "Prosecuting people for their HIV serostatus will frighten Egyptians from seeking treatment for HIV/AIDS, or information about prevention."
The five indicted men are among 12 men detained on grounds of HIV since October 2007, in what appears to be a widening police crackdown. According to human rights activists in Cairo, police arrested the first two men after stopping them during an altercation in the street, when one told police officers that he was HIV-positive. The defendants' lawyers told Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that officers detained both men, beat them and subjected them to abusive and intrusive physical examinations, trying to prove they had engaged in homosexual conduct. They then arrested other men whose names or personal information were found in the two men's possession.
According to the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), doctors from Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population subjected all 12 detainees to HIV tests without their consent. Authorities kept those who tested HIV-positive confined in hospitals for weeks. They were chained to their beds until February 25, when the ministry ordered them unchained after domestic and international outcry.
The case files of the five indicted men included the results of forced anal examinations, which are not only medically spurious but constitute torture. The results indicate that they were inconclusive, not revealing any sexual activity, but contained a standard caveat that it is possible to engage in anal sex without leaving any traces. The case files also contained the results of the compulsory HIV tests. Four of the five men tested HIV-positive. The three men whose charges were dropped tested HIV-negative.
The prosecutor's office detained two of the five men beyond the 90-day limit in Egyptian law.
"These men have been treated as if they are a national threat simply because four of them were found to be HIV-positive," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "The authorities should not be prosecuting them, but rather investigating the abuse and ill-treatment meted out against them and taking steps to ensure that such abuse does not happen again."
Four of the 12 men known to have been arrested in the HIV crackdown since October 2007 have already been sentenced to prison terms. On January 13, 2008, a Cairo court convicted them of the "habitual practice of debauchery," imprisoning all four for one year. An appeals court confirmed their sentences on February 2.
The imprisonment of individuals for actual or alleged consensual same-sex relations between adults is a serious violation of human rights. The Egyptian law used to prosecute adult consensual same-sex sexual conduct violates protections for privacy and against discrimination in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The UN Human Rights Committee holds that both sexual orientation and HIV serostatus are grounds protected against discrimination under the ICCPR's provisions. Individuals held solely on the basis of alleged consensual same-sex relations between adults in private are victims of arbitrary detention who should be released immediately and unconditionally.
The use of the Egyptian law on "debauchery," both to detain people on the basis of their declared or suspected HIV status and to subject them to HIV tests without their consent, also violates those international protections and the prohibition of arbitrary detention.
________________________________
Related Material
More of Human Rights Watch's work on Egypt
Country Page
More of Human Rights Watch's work on LGBT Rights
Thematic Page
Egypt: Spreading Crackdown on HIV Endangers Public Health
Press Release, February 15, 2008
In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct
Report, March 1, 2004
From: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/11/egypt18257.htm
© Copyright 2003, Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Muslim Heretics Conference - A Celebration of Heresy: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform
March 10, 2008 - Heretic Muslims Conference
Press Release by Heretic Muslims
Conference will take place Friday, Mar 28 - Sunday, Mar 30 Atlanta Georgia
The first of these conferences, "A Celebration of Heresy: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform," will take place in Atlanta Georgia from March 28-March 30, 2008. The organizers consist of a group of Muslim intellectuals and activists who share a commitment to the values of pluralism, democracy and respect for human rights. "This title emphasizes that we seek to promote our commitment to accept dissent and disagreement, because we believe that strong disagreement with the current views is a necessary pre-requisite for genuine and effective reform," explains one of the organizers, Dr. Abdullahi Naim, Professor of Law at Emory University. He adds, "We celebrate heresy and dissent not as ends in themselves, but in order to enable and promote innovative and critical thinking."
According to Melody Moezzi author, activist and another conference organizer, "The Muslim Heretics Conference is an effort to bring together the wide variety of voices and opinions within Islam. Our aim is to respect and appreciate dissent and diversity in Islamic practice and thought."
This conference grew out of the recognition that often, dissenting ideas against the prevailing religious traditions are written off as heresy. Nearly all the prophets and great thinkers throughout history have been accused of being heretics. Furthermore, the stereotypical image of Muslims seems to be, as Fereydoun Taslimi, another conference organizer puts it, "An intolerance of a seemingly vain re-action to a cartoon or film and a tolerance for tyranny or oppression by some Muslims and Islamic governments. However, throughout Islam's history dissenting ideas have been prevalent and tolerated more than they have in many other religions."
"In the present atmosphere, one of the best places to hold such a conference is the United States, where Muslims can freely express their opinions without the fear of persecution" said another organizer author, activist and dissident Edip Yuksel, who will be leading a panel on critical thinking at the conference.
The conference will have panels on several topics, including critical looks at Sharia and related concerns, the Hadith and Sunnah, the absence of democracy in many Muslim countries, and women's rights.
For more information on the conference, including the organizers, speakers, schedule and more, please visit the conference website at www.hereticmuslims.com.
A Jihad for Love Comes to Europe
From Parvez Sharma - Director, A Jihad for Love
London Premiere of A Jihad for Love Info:
It is Sun 30 Mar 18:00, NFT1 (at the BFI near the river)
There will be a major panel to follow.
If not, we will reserve you one. I can have you on my list and I hope you can bring many, many friends from the community and spread the word!
There is also a screening on
Mon 31 Mar 14:00, NFT1
with a Q & A to follow as well.
News / Updates:
The film premiered critical acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival last September, with major press coverage and excellent reviews. We have been picked up for theatrical distribution in the US with a major launch in NYC on May 21st at the IFC Center theater and our distributor First Run Features. We are fast moving towards theatrical release in many other countries and also broadcasts worldwide on Channel 4 in the UK, ADF in Germany, ARTE in France, SBS in Australia and also networks in India and South Africa.
We also had a fantastic launch of the film in India in January where we won the Jury Prize of the Tri-Continental Film Festival and held screenings in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
A great deal of the impact reports of the film from the entire world and the international press fervour generated by the film can be found at www.ajihadforlove.blogspot.com.
In February we had a hugely successful European launch at The Berlin Film Festival where I did all major German TV, radio and print media and it ran up to 42 journalists from across Europe including Newsweek International running features on the film. We met with members of The European Parliament who are interested to organize a major screening at the Parliament in Brussels and work on the issues of Islam, European integration, refugees, and asylum the film raises, met with The Green Party (including prominent MP Volker Beck, the father of the same-sex union law in Germany) and their The Heinrich Boll Foundation who have offices from Istanbul to Jakarta and are interested to fund our Muslim Dialogue work, and met with the Goethe Institute to support our work in the Muslim world.
We recently also won a major human rights award at the The One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Prague selected by a jury of eminent human rights activists from five continents. This, after winning Best Documentary Awards also at MIX Brasil and Image+Nation in Montreal in November.
Everywhere we go, the film is profoundly touching people - in Sydney with 700 people at our Australian Premiere in March, a Lebanese Muslim therapist came with her gay brother and their Mom who was wearing a hijab. In Prague and Thessaloniki audiences were packed and engaged in extensive question and answer sessions. in South Africa in November, even while the Muslim Judicial Council issued a 'hukum' or judgement against the film, hundreds showed up to support it and Imam Muhsin Hendricks was joined on stage by his 14 year old daughter, telling the world that she was proud of her gay and Muslim father. It was so beautiful how they all supported one another and all of this can be instrumental to our creation of an international Muslim medical and mental health network to support Muslim GLBT people.
As we arrive in Europe on Thursday we will do Premieres in Amsterdam/The Hague, London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, San Sebastian, Singapore, Torino, and in a major milestone - Istanbul - the first Muslim country to screen the film publicly.
With the plight of Mehdi Kazemi, the Iranian gay refugee, who was nearly deported from UK and Holland to face certain danger in Iran being a top news story around the world, these Premieres could not come at a better time when many European capitals are facing a rising tide of gays and lesbians fleeing the Muslim world who have been persecuted, imprisoned or tortured. A Jihad for Love and our International Muslim Dialogue Project are incredible resources for individuals, families, religious leaders, policymakers, government officials, NGO's.
London Premiere of A Jihad for Love Info:
It is Sun 30 Mar 18:00, NFT1 (at the BFI near the river)
There will be a major panel to follow.
If not, we will reserve you one. I can have you on my list and I hope you can bring many, many friends from the community and spread the word!
There is also a screening on
Mon 31 Mar 14:00, NFT1
with a Q & A to follow as well.
News / Updates:
The film premiered critical acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival last September, with major press coverage and excellent reviews. We have been picked up for theatrical distribution in the US with a major launch in NYC on May 21st at the IFC Center theater and our distributor First Run Features. We are fast moving towards theatrical release in many other countries and also broadcasts worldwide on Channel 4 in the UK, ADF in Germany, ARTE in France, SBS in Australia and also networks in India and South Africa.
We also had a fantastic launch of the film in India in January where we won the Jury Prize of the Tri-Continental Film Festival and held screenings in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
A great deal of the impact reports of the film from the entire world and the international press fervour generated by the film can be found at www.ajihadforlove.blogspot.com.
In February we had a hugely successful European launch at The Berlin Film Festival where I did all major German TV, radio and print media and it ran up to 42 journalists from across Europe including Newsweek International running features on the film. We met with members of The European Parliament who are interested to organize a major screening at the Parliament in Brussels and work on the issues of Islam, European integration, refugees, and asylum the film raises, met with The Green Party (including prominent MP Volker Beck, the father of the same-sex union law in Germany) and their The Heinrich Boll Foundation who have offices from Istanbul to Jakarta and are interested to fund our Muslim Dialogue work, and met with the Goethe Institute to support our work in the Muslim world.
We recently also won a major human rights award at the The One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Prague selected by a jury of eminent human rights activists from five continents. This, after winning Best Documentary Awards also at MIX Brasil and Image+Nation in Montreal in November.
Everywhere we go, the film is profoundly touching people - in Sydney with 700 people at our Australian Premiere in March, a Lebanese Muslim therapist came with her gay brother and their Mom who was wearing a hijab. In Prague and Thessaloniki audiences were packed and engaged in extensive question and answer sessions. in South Africa in November, even while the Muslim Judicial Council issued a 'hukum' or judgement against the film, hundreds showed up to support it and Imam Muhsin Hendricks was joined on stage by his 14 year old daughter, telling the world that she was proud of her gay and Muslim father. It was so beautiful how they all supported one another and all of this can be instrumental to our creation of an international Muslim medical and mental health network to support Muslim GLBT people.
As we arrive in Europe on Thursday we will do Premieres in Amsterdam/The Hague, London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, San Sebastian, Singapore, Torino, and in a major milestone - Istanbul - the first Muslim country to screen the film publicly.
With the plight of Mehdi Kazemi, the Iranian gay refugee, who was nearly deported from UK and Holland to face certain danger in Iran being a top news story around the world, these Premieres could not come at a better time when many European capitals are facing a rising tide of gays and lesbians fleeing the Muslim world who have been persecuted, imprisoned or tortured. A Jihad for Love and our International Muslim Dialogue Project are incredible resources for individuals, families, religious leaders, policymakers, government officials, NGO's.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Bibi Chic SAT 04.19 : NEW Location : San Francisco
Bibi Chic : SAT APRIL 19 @ 6IX
In this edition:
- Bibi's 4th Major Event: Bibi Chic extravaganza details!
NEW Location, International Donations, Classy Go Go Dancers, after
hours!
- Bibi Chic, Bibi SF Pride : Join up!
Join Chic crew, Be a Go Go, Socialize, Vote for a Date
............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....
Bibi Chic : NEW LOCATION : 6IX
Surveys said:
You asked for a bigger dance floor...we got one!
You asked for Go Go dancers...oh we got this one!
You asked to get up and Go Go dance yourself...we got that too!
You asked for hot DJs...oh yes, we got all that!
You asked for afterhours.. .oh yes, we're going laaaate!
You asked for international donations... we got this one seriously!
Bibi's April 19th extravaganza will be at a new location: 6IX!
6IX is a prime club in the heart of San Francisco where urban meets
chic! This place is a massive venue with enough power generated from
its DJ equipment to have its own electromagnetic field!
Course, we don't need all that space, so we're clubbing it in their
new exclusive two room halaluah! Bibi Plush Lounge, classy Go Go Belly
Dancers, after hours and much more!
It's time to shine up those faux tiaras, starch those fancy threads,
polish up those shiny shoes and get into your Chic get up!
By they way, even though we're not affiliated, we should've
coordinated better with each other. There is also an event by La Zeez
from LA at Club Eight (where Bibi was last) on Sat. April 19 so you
might want to check them out, as well.
Since the February Bibi LOVE we have received an unexpected wide range
of suggestions on where to donate the proceeds. So we've brought
together a group of folk to help us decide. Meanwhile, Bibi has
elected six international existing charitable organizations as the
eneficiaries of Bibi Chic! Two will be at the suggestion of the guests
at the event.
Bibi Chic benefits:
1. Helem - Helem.net
2. IRanian Queer Organization - IRQO.net
3. Iraqi LGBT - IraqiLGBTuk. blogspot. com
4. ASWAT - ASWATgroup.org
5. Your choice
6. Your choice
More details coming on this and everything else, so stay tuned!
Shake those hips!
-Rostam & J. Maximilian
What: Bibi Chic
When: Saturday, April 19
Where: 6IX, 60 6th St @ Market [NEW LOCATION]
Beneficiaries: Helem, IRQO, Iraqi LGBT, ASWAT & 2 community choices
............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .....
Bibi Chic, Bibi SF Pride : Join up!
Be a Bibi Chic Go Go Belly Dancer!
Hey sexy, love the way you move! You asked and ye shall receive! ;-)
Bibi is looking for classy, sultry Go Go Belly Dancers to join our
professional dancers to get all dressed up and show off their hip
shakin' pride! We're talking both Gents and Ladies, of course!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com with a description of why you'd
be a great Go Go Belly Dancer, and include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 01.11.08 EOD
Be a Bibi Chic-ifier!
Can Chic-ify? Can creative? Bibi is looking for hearty folk to be the
fabulous design,decorate and setup team to do up the awesome space we
have! Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com, a description
of yourself and skills, and include your phone number!
Respond by: ASAP
Be a Bibi Chic Socialite!
There is nothing like having a smiling face welcoming you to an all
out hip shakin' Bibi! Be the first to meet and greet all the sexies!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com., a little about yourself, and
include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 04.11.08 EOD
Bibi SF PRIDE! June 2008
Early planning for the major yearly event and Bibi's first anniversary
is on the way! leleleelelele! We're considering the following dates:
1. Saturday, June 21, 2008: Like last year, the weekend before SF Pride or
2. Thursday, June 26, 2008: Would make it a lot easier for long
distance out of towners (like TX) to join us
Which one do you thin is best? Visist MySpace.com/ BibiSF to take a
poll. More importantly, we need y'all to get involved, so come on out
and let's get the ball rolling for June PRIDE!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com, tell us a bit about you, and
include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 04.11.08 EOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Bibi is San Francisco's Premier Queer Middle-Eastern, North African Party!
We're an all charitable, all volunteer run party for the queer South
West Asian, North African (Middle-Eastern) community and friends!
http://MySpace.com/BibiSF
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
In this edition:
- Bibi's 4th Major Event: Bibi Chic extravaganza details!
NEW Location, International Donations, Classy Go Go Dancers, after
hours!
- Bibi Chic, Bibi SF Pride : Join up!
Join Chic crew, Be a Go Go, Socialize, Vote for a Date
............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ....
Bibi Chic : NEW LOCATION : 6IX
Surveys said:
You asked for a bigger dance floor...we got one!
You asked for Go Go dancers...oh we got this one!
You asked to get up and Go Go dance yourself...we got that too!
You asked for hot DJs...oh yes, we got all that!
You asked for afterhours.. .oh yes, we're going laaaate!
You asked for international donations... we got this one seriously!
Bibi's April 19th extravaganza will be at a new location: 6IX!
6IX is a prime club in the heart of San Francisco where urban meets
chic! This place is a massive venue with enough power generated from
its DJ equipment to have its own electromagnetic field!
Course, we don't need all that space, so we're clubbing it in their
new exclusive two room halaluah! Bibi Plush Lounge, classy Go Go Belly
Dancers, after hours and much more!
It's time to shine up those faux tiaras, starch those fancy threads,
polish up those shiny shoes and get into your Chic get up!
By they way, even though we're not affiliated, we should've
coordinated better with each other. There is also an event by La Zeez
from LA at Club Eight (where Bibi was last) on Sat. April 19 so you
might want to check them out, as well.
Since the February Bibi LOVE we have received an unexpected wide range
of suggestions on where to donate the proceeds. So we've brought
together a group of folk to help us decide. Meanwhile, Bibi has
elected six international existing charitable organizations as the
eneficiaries of Bibi Chic! Two will be at the suggestion of the guests
at the event.
Bibi Chic benefits:
1. Helem - Helem.net
2. IRanian Queer Organization - IRQO.net
3. Iraqi LGBT - IraqiLGBTuk. blogspot. com
4. ASWAT - ASWATgroup.org
5. Your choice
6. Your choice
More details coming on this and everything else, so stay tuned!
Shake those hips!
-Rostam & J. Maximilian
What: Bibi Chic
When: Saturday, April 19
Where: 6IX, 60 6th St @ Market [NEW LOCATION]
Beneficiaries: Helem, IRQO, Iraqi LGBT, ASWAT & 2 community choices
............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .....
Bibi Chic, Bibi SF Pride : Join up!
Be a Bibi Chic Go Go Belly Dancer!
Hey sexy, love the way you move! You asked and ye shall receive! ;-)
Bibi is looking for classy, sultry Go Go Belly Dancers to join our
professional dancers to get all dressed up and show off their hip
shakin' pride! We're talking both Gents and Ladies, of course!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com with a description of why you'd
be a great Go Go Belly Dancer, and include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 01.11.08 EOD
Be a Bibi Chic-ifier!
Can Chic-ify? Can creative? Bibi is looking for hearty folk to be the
fabulous design,decorate and setup team to do up the awesome space we
have! Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com, a description
of yourself and skills, and include your phone number!
Respond by: ASAP
Be a Bibi Chic Socialite!
There is nothing like having a smiling face welcoming you to an all
out hip shakin' Bibi! Be the first to meet and greet all the sexies!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com., a little about yourself, and
include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 04.11.08 EOD
Bibi SF PRIDE! June 2008
Early planning for the major yearly event and Bibi's first anniversary
is on the way! leleleelelele! We're considering the following dates:
1. Saturday, June 21, 2008: Like last year, the weekend before SF Pride or
2. Thursday, June 26, 2008: Would make it a lot easier for long
distance out of towners (like TX) to join us
Which one do you thin is best? Visist MySpace.com/ BibiSF to take a
poll. More importantly, we need y'all to get involved, so come on out
and let's get the ball rolling for June PRIDE!
Send an email to ProjectBibi@ yahoo.com, tell us a bit about you, and
include your phone number!
Respond by: Friday, 04.11.08 EOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Bibi is San Francisco's Premier Queer Middle-Eastern, North African Party!
We're an all charitable, all volunteer run party for the queer South
West Asian, North African (Middle-Eastern) community and friends!
http://MySpace.com/BibiSF
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
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