cairo sarah hegazy jail beat inmates could face life sentence egyptian prison find guilty promote sexual deviancy charge tie allege crime wave rainbow flag concert 28-year-old deny wave flag one 57 people arrest far egypt wide anti-gay crackdown yet swift zero-tolerance response rare show public support lesbian gay bisexual transgender lgbt right conservative muslim country crackdown come egypt key western ally middle east fire human right record unite state withhold 1.3 billion annual military aid hegazy woman round three-week-old campaign say police goad cellmates abuse first night prison detain 15 days interrogate special prosecutors usually focus islamist militants game police always play especially since girl incite detainees say girl want men women gay harass saw scratch shoulder look dishevel exhaust beat say hegazy lawyer hoda nasralla security official would comment hegazy case deny police incite prisoners otherwise mistreat lawyers detainees say clients face similar treatment suspect gay male detainees subject force anal exams determine homosexual sex procedure human right group say amount torture least five examinations take place amnesty international say judicial source deny examinations take place say legally carry form abuse egyptian authorities deny go gays investigation report provide reuters egyptian initiative personal right eipr openly refer police campaign homosexuals police state-aligned media religious establishment see public duty combat spread homosexuality ten men already go trial recent sweep receive jail sentence one six years sept. 22 concert pack 30,000 people headline mashrou leila lebanese alternative rock band whose lead singer openly gay small group concert goers raise rainbow flag within hours image go viral almost immediately local media dominate state-aligned television personalities begin campaign homosexuals say receive foreign fund host callers compare threat islamic state egypt media regulator ban homosexuals appear media unless repent call homosexuality shame disease keep wrap promote order protect public morality al-azhar egypt 1,000-year-old center islamic learn say would stand gays way stand islamist extremists one church organize anti-gay conference public prosecutor nabil sadek order state security prosecution normally investigate terrorism national security threats investigate flag incident least four people include hegazy 21-year-old ahmed alaa arrest allegedly raise flag although one man since release overwhelm majority arrest involve flag case however simply arrest perceive sexual orientation follow days police raid home party use online date apps lure gay men common tactic egypt arrest lawyers say cairo courthouse defendants stand cage hold newspapers book hide face shield stigma homosexuality egyptian society although homosexuality specifically outlaw egypt conservative society discrimination rife gay men frequently arrest typically charge debauchery immorality blasphemy last comparable crackdown homosexuals egypt 2001 police raid float disco call queen boat fifty-two men try case draw widespread criticism human right group western governments current wave already surpass incident number state action defendants face much fast trials usual say dalia abd elhameed eipr gender women right officer western government publicly condemn comment crackdown egypt face criticism unite state major ally human right record washington deny egypt 95.7 million aid delay 195 million fail make progress human right democracy u.s. source tell reuters august egypt take lead role unite nations oppose gay right one 13 countries vote last week u.n. resolution condemn death penalty gay sex lead dozen state boycott session january first u.n. expert anti-gay violence discrimination send letter last year behalf muslim countries secretary-general lead exclusion 22 gay transgender right group u.n. general assembly high level meet end aid gay men right activists say lgbt community face aggressive crackdown since 2013 president abdel fattah al-sisi military chief oust muslim brotherhood president mohamed mursi eipr document 232 case october 2013 march 2017 people arrest allegedly gay transgender abd elhameed say many case go court average sentence around three years jail although case go 12. sisi criticize brotherhood anti-islam right group say tough treatment lgbt community way counter divert attention country tough economic condition crackdown egypt already underground lgbt community live fear five gay men request anonymity say avoid gay-friendly space delete online date profile fear arrest consider leave country recent developments underscore exist reality gay egyptians constant physical danger feel comfortable talk gay right one call marriage equality face possibility jail humiliation merely exist say one 25-year-old gay man 31-year-old gay man recount tie beat cairo flat last year two men threaten kill meet gay date app grindr pose police officer point play common fear gay egyptians steal items flat man say late felt go police almost traumatic incident police record show officer create false date profile set date arrest men show sometimes tell men bring condoms use evidence abd elhameed say people interior ministry take money taxpayers engage sex chat people arrest ridiculous evidence sheet include nude photos erotic chat transcripts rainbow raid egypt launch wide anti-gay crackdown yet