An Algerian court had sentenced 44 men after the police raided an alleged ‘gay wedding’ in the country. While the court sentenced 2 of them to prison terms, the other 42 were sentenced to suspended terms.
According to the report on Human Rights Watch, the Algerian police had raided a private residence and arrested 44 persons — 9 women and 35 men — after neighbours had complained. The evidence of guilt used by the police report, and eventually, the court were the decorations, flowers, and sweets indicative of a wedding celebration, and the men’s supposedly gay appearance at the event.
In Algeria, same-sex relations are punishable under article 338 of the penal code by up to two years in prison. Additionally, article 333 increases the penalty for public indecency to six months to three years in prison and a fine if it involves “acts against nature with a member of the same sex,” whether between men or women, Human Rights Watch reports.
“Algerian authorities’ attack on personal freedoms is nothing new, but arresting dozens of students based on their perceived sexual orientation is a flagrant infringement on their basic rights,” Rasha Younes, an LGBT rights researcher told Human Rights Watch. “They should immediately release from prison the two men who would be free today were it not for Algeria’s regressive anti-homosexuality laws.”
Human Rights Watch is also demanding that the courts void the charges and release them immediately.
“While people in Algeria continue to demand their basic rights to protest, the authorities are dedicating their time and resources to crack down on students and stockpile discriminatory charges against them,” Younes said. “Instead of policing its citizens’ private lives, the Algerian government should carry out reforms, including decriminalizing same-sex conduct.”
