6 Tunisians freed while appealing sodomy verdict
The Court of Appeals in Sousse, Tunisia, today released six students pending action on the appeal of their three-year prison sentences for sodomy.
A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for Feb. 25.
Shams, an LGBTI rights group seeking the decriminalization of homosexuality in Tunisia, announced the decision on its Facebook page.
The young men, from Kairouan 150 kilometers south of the capital city of Tunis, were convicted Dec. 10 of sodomy and given three-year prison sentences. They were also banned from returning to Kairouan, where they attend Rakkada University, for three years after their release from prison.
The appeals court required them to pay a deposit of 500 dinars each [about 225 euros or US$245].
The decision was also reported by MosaïqueFM.
Last month, seven human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Avocats Sans Frontières – Belgique and the International Federation of Human Rights, protested the youths’ prison sentences.
Related articles
- Tunisia urged to repeal anti-homosexuality law (modernghana.com)
- Tunisia: 3-Year Sentence for Homosexuality (refworld.org)
- Human rights advocates decry 3-year sentences in Tunisia (76crimes.com)
- Tunisia Jails Six Students for Homosexual Behavior (christiannews.net)
- Kairouan: Six examined, imprisoned and banished on charges of homosexuality (tunisia-live.net)
