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Egypt jails eight men over gay wedding

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IANS Cairo
Last Updated : Nov 01 2014 | 8:25 PM IST

An Egyptian court Saturday sentenced eight men to three years in prison for appearing in a video of an alleged gay wedding and posting it online.

"The video clip promotes debauchery and ruins traditional moral standards," Xinhua quoted the court as saying in its ruling, describing the video posted in August on YouTube and social media websites as "an invitation to immorality".

The clip shows two men on a boat in the river Nile in Cairo hugging and kissing after exchanging rings amid celebratory friends. It also shows a cake with a picture of the two men.

Homosexuality is a taboo in Egypt and most Muslim countries that consider it contrary to religion and morality.

The video was met by outrage among a lot of Egyptians.

While supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi argued it showed degrading morals after his overthrow, Saturday's ruling may be a sign that the new leadership of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi could be as conservative when it comes to moral issues and social standards.

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First Published: Nov 01 2014 | 8:20 PM IST

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