by Mridula Tirumalasetti

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Several people were arrested in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah in the Harzat district after Saudi authorities raided two parties where many of the attendees were homosexuals. The raids happened simultaneously on June 13 around dawn.

Sources connected to the raids have told Gulf News that “The raids led to the arrest of several people, mainly gays, and netted locally produced alcoholic drinks and hasish…Those who were arrested were referred to a police station while those who fled the premises will be summoned since they were all identified.” It has also been reported that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which is made up of members of the religious police, recorded license plates of any and all cars that were parked close to each party before the parties were raided so that they were able to track down those who managed to escape.

Police cars in Jeddah during the raids are pictured above (photo courtesy of International Business Times)

Saudi Arabia’s strict interpretation of Islamic Shariah law makes homosexuality and even cross-dressing illegal. Those who engage in homosexual acts can receive a wide variety of harsh punishments. Such punishments include being stoned to death, imprisonment, chemical castration, flogging, and execution. For example, in November a man was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 100,000 Saudi riyals, which is approximately $26,000, for allegedly participating in “immoral acts.” Also in July, a man in Medina was sentenced to three years imprisonment and 450 lashes for “promoting the vice and practice of homosexuality.” Politicians in Saudi Arabia have even suggested prompt deportation for the LGBT community. As a result, the LGBT community in Saudi Arabia is fearful of religious police, and has become accustomed to keeping their private lives and sexual orientation a secret so that they will not be discovered and punished.

Other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, such as Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have imposed similar sanctions for homosexuality. For example, in October, Kuwaiti police arrested 23 cross-dressers and people who identified as homosexuals after they raided a “wild party.” Also, in 2013, a health official proposed that the LGBT community be banned from working anywhere in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

For more information, please visit:

International Business Times—‘Gay Parties’ Raided In Saudi Arabia; Religious Police Arrest Several People On Suspicion Of Homosexuality—15 June 2015

Gulf News—Saudi Arabia busts two gay parties—14 June 2015

albawaba—Have you no PRIDE?! Two ‘homosexual’ parties dismantled by Saudi police—15 June 2015

GayStarNews—Islamic religious police raid two gay parties in Saudi Arabia—15 June 2015

 

Author: Impunity Watch Archive