Image copyright LTC TV Image caption TV host Mohamed al-Gheity has himself expressed views against homosexuality in the past

An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to one year of hard labour for interviewing a gay man last year.

A court in Giza also fined Mohamed al-Ghiety 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167; £130) for "promoting homosexuality" on his privately owned LTC TV channel.

The gay man, whose identity was hidden, had talked about life as a sex worker.

Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised in Egypt, however, the authorities have been increasingly cracking down on the LGBT community.

They routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", immorality or blasphemy.

The most recent case came about after lawyer Samir Sabry, who is well known in Egypt for taking celebrities to court, filed a lawsuit against Ghiety for his interview which took place in August 2018.

The TV host, who has voiced homophobic views on a number of occasions, spoke to a gay man who expressed regret over his sexuality and described life as a prostitute. The man's face had been blurred to conceal his identity.

Egypt's top media body, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, immediately took the channel off air for two weeks, citing "professional violations".

The prosecuting lawyer, Mr Sabry, accused the TV host of revealing there to be financial gains of "practising homosexuality", state-owned al-Ahram newspaper reports.

In addition to the jail term and fine, the misdemeanours court also ordered Ghiety to be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, Mr Sabry said.

The verdict could be appealed against and suspended if Ghiety paid bail of 1,000 Egyptian pounds, pending the appeal's outcome, he added.

Image copyright Facebook/Rainbow Egypt Image caption Egyptians have seen a crackdown on homosexuals intensify since the rainbow flag incident two years ago

Egypt's media council banned homosexuals from appearing on any media outlet after a rainbow flag was raised at a concert in Cairo in 2017, in a rare public show of support for the LGBT community in the conservative, mainly Muslim country.

A crackdown was also launched on suspected homosexuals with dozens of people arrested, in a move decried by human rights groups.

The authorities rely on a 1961 prostitution law that criminalises "habitual debauchery" to charge people who they suspect of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct.

Mr Sabry was also the lawyer who filed a case against Egyptian actress Rania Youssef on charges of "inciting debauchery" over a see-through outfit she wore at an awards ceremony last year. He later dropped the case after Ms Youssef apologised.

He has filed hundreds of similar cases in recent years.</s>An Egyptian TV presenter has been sentenced to one year of hard labour for interviewing a gay man last year. A court in Giza also fined Mohamed al-Ghiety 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167; £130) for "promoting homosexuality" on his privately owned LTC TV channel....Read more via BBC News – https://bbc.in/2CJRteb Get more World News</s>Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

AN EGYPTIAN COURT has sentenced a television host to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man last year, a judicial source said.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

The misdemeanours court in Giza also fined him 3,000 Egyptian pounds (€147) and ordered he be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, said Samir Sabri, the lawyer who brought the case against him.

The verdict can be appealed, and it can be suspended if Gheiti pays bail of 1,000 pounds pending the outcome of the appeal, said Sabri.

In August 2018, Gheiti hosted a gay man on his talk show on the private LTC TV station and discussed homosexuality on air.

During the interview, the gay man, whose face was blurred to hide his identity, said he was a sex worker and openly talked about his relationship with another man.

After the interview was aired, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Egypt’s top media body, suspended the channel for two weeks for “professional violations”.

In a statement at the time, the council said the LTC TV had violated its decision “banning the appearance of homosexuals or promotion of their slogans”.

The council banned the appearance of homosexuals on any outlet after a rainbow flag — symbolic of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community — was waved during a Cairo concert in 2017.

At the time, the authorities launched a large-scale crackdown on suspected homosexuals, triggering condemnation from right groups.

Homosexuality is not expressly outlawed in Egypt, but gays have previously been charged with debauchery in the deeply conservative Muslim society.</s>A television host in Egypt was sentenced to one year of “hard labor” behind bars after interviewing a gay man on a privately owned TV network.

Mohammed el-Gheiti was fined 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167) for “promoting debauchery and homosexuality” on his LTC TV show “Wake Up” in an August 2018 episode, according to Egypt’s state-run news agency Al-Ahram.

Gheiti was also accused of “contempt of religion,” Al-Ahram reports.

In addition to the jail sentence and fine, Gheiti is to remain under surveillance for 12 months after serving his prison term.

Gheiti has the legal right to appeal the ruling and will remain free pending the final verdict, according to The Telegraph. The sentence can be suspended pending an appeal if Gheiti pays 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($56) in bail, prosecuting lawyer Samir Sabry said, according to the BBC.

It is not known if Gheiti will appeal the sentence.

Sabry’s legal team argued that the show discussed the financial gains and other benefits of engaging in homosexuality, Al-Ahram reports.

Gheiti had spoken out against homosexuality on multiple occasions prior to the lawsuit, according to CNN.

The August 2018 interview featured a journalist named Mustafa Mekki, who said he posed as a gay man on the gay dating app Grindr with the goal of learning more about the Egyptian gay community, according to CNN.

During the interview, Mekki told Gheiti : “Many of the men I met through the application are unhappy with what they’ve involved themselves in and want to change their situation.”

The anonymous guest on “Wake Up” was one of the men Mekki met on the app, who talked on the show about his life as a sex worker.

The guest’s face was blurred out during the interview to conceal his identity.

The man said he was motivated to share his experience as a way to warn other young Egyptians to not repeat his mistakes, ABC News reports.

Immediately after the show’s airing, Egypt’s top media body, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, took the channel off the air for two weeks, claiming LTC TV had committed “professional violations,” according to Al-Ahram.

Sabry has filed over 2,700 criminal complaints against celebrities and media personalities to influence Egyptian politics and enforce public morality, according to a June 2018 profile on him in The New York Times.

“Egyptian art is in its worst state ever at the moment,” Sabry told the Times, “They are relying on nudity, swear words, drugs and thuggery, and are showing our Egyptian women as whores. We have to stop them,” adding, “People fear me.”

In 2017, Egypt’s media council banned homosexuals from appearing on any media outlet, according to the BBC.

Homosexuality is not technically illegal in the country, however LGBT individuals are regularly subjected to arrest on charges of debauchery, immorality, prostitution and pornography.</s>This post was originally published on this site

WORLD NEWS Egyptian TV anchor sentenced to hard labor over interview with gay man https://linewsradio.com/egyptian-tv-anchor-sentenced-to-hard-labor-over-interview-with-gay-man/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/

Anton Litvintsev/iStock(CAIRO) — An Egyptian TV host was sentenced to one year of hard labor for interviewing a gay sex worker, a Cairo court ruled Sunday.

Mohamed El-Gheity, a well-known journalist in Egypt who has spoken out against homosexuality, is accused of promoting debauchery and insulting religions during an episode that aired last August on private satellite channel LTC.

During the interview, El-Gheity’s guest, whose face was blurred, shared details about his life as a sex worker.

The guest said he was motivated to share his experience so other young Egyptians would not repeat his mistakes.

The hosting channel, LTC, was taken off air for two weeks immediately after the episode aired for violating a decree by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation that bans the appearance of gay people on media outlets.

While homosexuality is not explicitly illegal in Egypt, members of the LGBT community are often persecuted under an anti-prostitution law.

In September and October 2017, over 70 people were arrested in one of the most aggressive crackdowns on the LGBT community after fans of Mashrou Leila, a Lebanese band with an openly-gay lead singer, waved a rainbow flag at a concert.

The lawsuit against El-Gheity was filed by Samir Sabri, a controversial lawyer and a self-proclaimed morality defender who has filed numerous lawsuits of similar nature.

Last December, he sued actress Rania Youssef over a dress she wore at the Cairo International Film Festival.</s>A television host has been sentenced to one year in prison for promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was sentenced yesterday for the ‘offence’ which took place last year.

In August 2018, Gheiti hosted a gay man on his talk show on the private LTC TV station and discussed homosexuality on air.

During the interview, the gay man, whose face was blurred to hide his identity, said he was a sex worker and openly talked about his relationship with another man.

After the interview was aired, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Egypt’s top media body, suspended the channel for two weeks for ‘professional violations’.

In a statement at the time, the council said the LTC TV had violated its decision ‘banning the appearance of homosexuals or promotion of their slogans’.

The council banned the appearance of homosexuals on any outlet after a rainbow flag – symbolic of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community – was waved during a Cairo concert in 2017.

At the time, the authorities launched a large-scale crackdown on suspected homosexuals, triggering condemnation from right groups.

The misdemeanours court in Giza also fined him 3,000 Egyptian pounds (£114) and ordered he be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, said Samir Sabri, the lawyer who brought the case against him.

The verdict can be appealed, and it can be suspended if Gheiti pays bail of 1,000 pounds (£43) pending the outcome of the appeal, said Sabri.

Homosexuality is not expressly outlawed in Egypt, but gay people have previously been charged with debauchery in the deeply conservative Muslim society.</s>An Egyptian TV host has been sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who had earlier expressed his homophobic views in many occasions on his TV show, was charged of “promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion” after he hosted a gay man on his talk show on a private TV station in August 2018.

Gheiti had blurred his guest’s face and hidden his identity as he talked about his sex work and his relationship with another man.

Later after the interview was aired, lawyer Samir Sabri filed a complaint against Gheiti in addition to the TV station suspension for two weeks for “professional violations”.

On Sunday, a court in Egypt sentenced Gheiti for one year in prison and to be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence.

Meanwhile, the news has flooded the Egyptian social media with more people weighing in on the controversy.

Gheiti has been one of the few controversial Egyptian TV hosts who is known for being a “pawn” for the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Sisi.

His sentence has mixed opinions, between condemnations of sentencing a TV host for hosting a gay…

Translation: “Mohamed el-Gheiti will be jailed for one year. Egypt has lost one of its most sycophantic men.”

Others considered what happened to Gheiti as karma after the Sisi government has used him for their own purposes for a long time.

Others expect that Gheiti will not be jailed, and that the whole media condemnations against him is just a conspiracy by the government and he will be back soon to TV as if nothing has happened.

Translation: “He won’t be jailed for a single hour, this is only a show.”

In 2017, the media council has banned the appearance of homosexuals on any outlet after a rainbow flag was waved during a musical concert in Cairo.

It is worth noting that homosexuality is not criminalized in Egypt, however, massive crackdowns have been launched against the LGBT+ community since the Cairo concert incident in 2017.</s>An Egyptian court has found a TV host guilty of “promoting” homosexuality and contempt of religion for interviewing a gay man on air last year.

Host Mohamed al-Gheiti was sentenced to one year in prison and was also slapped with a 3,000 ($235 AUD) Egyptian pounds fine by the misdemeanours court in Giza, according to AFP.

The court also ordered that Gheiti be placed under surveillance for 12 months after his release from prison.

Gheiti has previously expressed his anti-LGBTIQ views on-air, but this did not stop lawyer Samir Sabri from bringing forth a case against him for inviting a gay man on his talk show at LTC TV last year.

The guest, whose face was blurred to maintain his anonymity, discussed homosexuality with Gheiti and told him that he was a sex worker and shared details about his same-sex relationship during the interview in August 2018.

According to Sabri, Gheti can still make an appeal against the verdict if he pays the bail money amounting to 1,000 Egyptian pounds, pending the outcome of the appeal.

After airing the interview, Egypt’s top media body, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, suspended LTC TV for two weeks and cited “professional violations” as the grounds for the suspension because the network had allowed a homosexual to appear on television.

In a statement following the suspension, the council said that LTC TV disobeyed their policy regarding “banning the appearance of homosexuals or promotion of their slogans.”

In October, a group of Egyptian men were arrested for waving a rainbow flag during a 2017 concert in Cairo.

Since then, the council has prohibited the appearance of homosexuals on any media outlet, a decision that was widely criticised by social rights groups.

While there is no law prohibiting homosexuality in Egypt, same-sex relationships remain a taboo in the Muslim nation, with debauchery laws occasionally being used to prosecute LGBTIQ people.</s>An Egyptian court has sentenced a television host to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man last year, a judicial source says.

Mohamed al-Gheiti, who has expressed his stance against homosexuality on several occasions, was accused of promoting homosexuality and contempt of religion.

The misdemeanors court in Giza also fined him 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($147), and ordered he be put under surveillance for one year after serving his sentence, said Samir Sabri, the lawyer who brought the case against him.

The verdict can be appealed, and it can be suspended if Gheiti pays bail of 1,000 pounds pending the outcome of the appeal, says Sabri.

In August 2018, Gheiti hosted a gay man on his talk show on the private LTC TV station and discussed homosexuality on air.

During the interview, the gay man, whose face was blurred to hide his identity, said he was a sex worker and openly talked about his relationship with another man.

After the interview was aired, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Egypt’s top media body, suspended the channel for two weeks for “professional violations.”</s>Egypt has waged a crackdown on homosexuality in recent years, imprisoning people on vague charges of "debauchery".

Homosexuality is not a crime but is widely seen as taboo in the conservative, Muslim-majority country, while prostitution is illegal.

In September 2017 dozens of people were arrested after an LGBT rainbow flag was waved at a Cairo concert.

Charges against El-Gheiti stemmed from a complaint filed by Samir Sabry, a lawyer who has has previously taken other high profile Egyptian media figures to court.

The interview was broadcast in August on the LTC TV channel, which is privately owned.

El-Gheiti himself has previously expressed his opposition to homosexuality.

The interviewee had his face disguised and spoke about how he regretted being a prostitute.

Mr Sabry argued that in broadcasting the interview El-Gheiti had publicised that "practicing homosexuality" could lead to financial rewards.
Egyptian TV presenter Mohamed al-Ghiety is sentenced to one year of hard labor and fined 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($167; £130) for "promoting homosexuality" by interviewing a gay man on the privately-owned LTC Egypt TV channel last year.