A court in Egypt sentenced
four men to up to eight years in prison on Monday for practicing homosexuality,
a judicial official said.
Prosecutors had accused the men of
holding "deviant parties" and dressing in women's clothes. Three were
sentenced to eight years and the fourth to three years in prison.
Prosecutors have used a law banning
"debauchery" to try homosexuals in the past.
Those accused of homosexuality are often
forced to undergo medical tests to establish they are "habitual"
gays, a practice rights groups have decried as abusive.
Homosexuality is not tolerated across the
Middle East and much of Africa.
Chapisha Maoni