We responded to this crisis directly and, in partnership with a number of international human rights associations, grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations and activists based in Cairo, were able to relocate 12 survivors.
Supporting LGBTQI+ people in Egypt
The Issue
Egypt has always been a difficult region for us to navigate.
The Egyptian police are often extremely violent and work with state actors in order to seek out activists and allies of the LGBTQI+ community. LGBTQI+ people are regularly arrested for immoral or indecent behaviour.
Our Response
We work in the country to relocate individuals on an emergency case-by-case basis, with support from our partners on the ground (whose names, for security reasons, we cannot disclose).
On September 22, 2017, the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila (with lead singer Hamed Sinno, an openly gay, cisgender man) performed in Cairo, there was a moment of solidarity from a few LGBTQI+ audience members. But the simple act of raising a rainbow flag in the crowd has resulted in a state-led anti-LGBTQI+ crackdown. The conservative media outlets in Egypt have condemned the activists, and 60 individuals were arrested immediately after the concert. The state continues to target, imprison and torture LGBTQI+ individuals, and has been accused of countless human rights violations against those arrested.
We responded to this crisis directly and, in partnership with a number of international human rights associations, grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations and activists based in Cairo, were able to relocate 12 survivors.
The persecution of the LGBTQI+ community has not significantly changed or improved since the crackdown. The state has been accused of countless human rights abuses, including violating the UN’s Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. We are monitoring legal cases and will alert stakeholders if wider advocacy is required.