Egypt court upholds ban on Libyan from country for being gay
An Egyptian administrative court has upheld a decision by the Interior Ministry banning a Libyan student from returning to the country because he is gay.
The student, who was not named, was barred from returning to Cairo from abroad in 2008 and had appealed the decision hoping to continue his studies at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport. A judicial official says the ministry has the right to issue bans in such cases on grounds of protecting public interest, religious and social values. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. Same-sex relations are not explicitly prohibited under Egyptian law, but homosexuality is a social taboo and courts can prosecute gays on charges of debauchery and performing indecent public acts.
