2 arrests in Tunisia; protests block anal tests
Two men, age 20 and 21, were arrested on homosexuality charges yesterday in Sousse, Tunisia.
The Tunisian LGBTI rights group Shams said that police ordered an anal test to “prove” their homosexuality, but Shams and the Tunisian Human Rights League protested, urging doctors at local hospitals to refuse to perform the test.
As a result, the planned anal test was canceled, Shams said on its Facebook page.
Such tests are widely understood not only to be abusive violations of human rights, but also ineffective as a means of proving or disproving allegations of homosexual activity.
The men remained in custody, awaiting action by the public prosecutor today [Dec. 9], Shams said.
Under Tunisian law, homosexual activity is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Related articles:
- Sousse : Deux jeunes hommes arrêtés pour homosexualité (Dec. 8, 2016, Kapitalis.com)
- Tunisian police arrest and humiliate trans youth (November 2016, 76crimes.com)
- Amid democratic reforms, deeper troubles for LGBT Tunisians (October 2016, 76crimes.com)
- Homophobic attack on LGBTI rights defender in Tunisia (August 2016, 76crimes.com)
- Tunisia: Attack targets LGBTQ activist from Shams
- Appeal for an end to anti-LGBT campaign in Tunisia
- Human rights advocates decry 3-year sentences in Tunisia (December 2015, 76crimes.com)
- Tunisia: Death threats against LGBT activists (December 2015, 76crimes.com)
- Tunisian LGBT rights group under attack (December 2015, 76crimes.com)
- Tunisian justice minister seeks repeal of gay sex ban
- Tunisia: Protests against anal exam, sodomy sentence (September 2015, 76crimes.com)
- Archive of this blog’s articles about Shams.
