More Arrests In Saudi Arabia
With homosexuality punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, the fate of a number of gay men arrested this week is uncertain. The second police ‘blitz’ in less than a month has seen a number of men attending a private party handcuffed and detained.
With little information being released about the raid, apart from a report on Arab satellite TV channel al-Arabiya, there is no information about the identity of the 55 arrested, or what charges they will face.
When police entered the Qatif farmhouse in the east of the country where the party was being held, two men dressed in women’s clothing were performing on a stage. Authorities also said that drugs and alcohol, both prohibited under Sharia law, were found on the premises.
It’s uncertain whether the police that raided the party were Saudi religious police from the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The influence of Islam on both law and social behaviour means that homosexuality is largely taboo. 21 homosexual men arrested in June were said to be of Filipino and Pakistani nationality, a statement by authorities that may indicate a reluctance to admit that Saudi residents partake in homosexual activity too.
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GenesisInVain
said on the 31st Jul, 2008