Jan. 6 trial in Tunisia for being gay on the street
The trial of two Tunisian youths accused of homosexuality has been set for January 6, L’Express reports.
Achref, a 20-year-old student, said he was arrested on Dec. 7 with Sabri, 22, while the two were on a street in downtown Sousse.
A policeman asked him, “You were doing something with your boyfriend, were you not? You bring a curse on the country.”
Under Tunisian law, same-sex intercourse is punishable by up to three years in prison. Achref implied that the two young men were arrested on the basis of their perceived sexual orientation, not for their actions.
The young men were taken to the police station, then “slapped, insulted and forced to sign [a statement],” he said.
They were released pending their trial.
Achref was reported as saying that he was subjected to an anal test, which is different from what was reported in the Dec. 9 article “2 arrests in Tunisia; protests block anal tests.”
Related articles:
- 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)
