Valerie Wu
Sep 29, 2017

What's happening in Egypt?

1 comment

Last week, seven people were arrested in Egypt for raising flags "promoting homosexuality" at a rock concert. The incident has been said to be another example of how Egypt restricts the freedom of expression in that country.

 

Full article here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41398193

 

What's your perspective on this issue? Do you think the Egyptian government has a right to prohibit those expressions in the country? Or do you think that the power of speech lies in the people?

Rachna Shah
Sep 29, 2017

This report from Freedom House provides a helpful context on the state of freedom in Egypt: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2016/egypt -->

 

"LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people face severe persecution, and conditions have grown worse under the Sisi regime. While same-sex sexual activity is not explicitly banned, LGBT people have been charged with prostitution or debauchery. In January 2015, a court acquitted 26 men of debauchery charges after they were arrested in a televised raid on a Cairo bathhouse in late 2014. New raids and arrests were reported over the course of 2015."

 

"The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, an Egyptian rights organization, documented 172 press freedom violations in the first half of the year, including censorship and physical abuse."

 

 

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