MANAMA, Bahrain -- Amidst the on-going turmoil in Bahrain, Al Wasat News reported today that court proceedings commenced against 52 men who were arrested on the third of February.

Forty-nine of the 52 defendants attended the court proceeding, while two are fugitives, and one, who was released on bail, failed to appear before the fifth branch of lower criminal court of Bahrain.

Al Wasat reports that 40 of the men are gay while the rest were involved in the running of the party. The men were not named but given numbers.

Since there is no law against homosexuality in Bahrain, the 40 defendants nevertheless were charged with incitement to immorality/debauchery and prostitution. Of the 40, 29 were also charged with engaging in immoral behaviour "in public" by dressing up like women and dancing in public. Some were also charged with cannabis consumption and being drunk "in public."

The rest of the defendants were accused of facilitating debauchery and prostitution by virtue of organizing and operating the party without a license (some were accused to have attempted to attack the policemen during the arrests).

All the defendants denied the allegations.

The next session of the court for the 52 defendants is scheduled for the third of March. The presiding judge is Mohamemd said Alaradi.

GME Opinion

GME notes that the party was held in private, and therefore it could not (and was not designed to) offend "public morality" nor was it used for inciting prostitution. All such charges are sensationalist, misguided and wrong. We call upon the Bahraini government to release immediately the 49 defendants and drop all charges against 52 accused.