Police Arrest 44 People Attending Same-Sex Marriages, Most Of Them Students

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JAKARTA - Human rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, October 15 that the Algerian authorities should immediately release and drop charges against 44 people for attending same-sex marriage.

According to iol.co.za , on July 24 police raided a private residence and arrested 44 people, including nine women and 35 men, most of them university students.

The arrests took place in el-Kharoub, a district in the province of Konstantin, northeastern Algeria, after neighbors complained.

Human Rights Watch reported that an Algerian lawyer involved in the case told rights groups that the court used police reports depicting decorations, flowers and candy showing wedding celebrations, and the appearance of men suspected of being gay, as evidence of guilt.

"The Algerian authorities' attacks on personal freedom are nothing new, but arresting dozens of students based on their sexual orientation is a flagrant violation of their basic rights," said Rasha Younes, a researcher on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. at Human Rights Watch.

According to the report, the court convicted 44 of these people for same-sex relationships, public indecency, and injured others by violating the Covid-19 quarantine measures.

Two men were sentenced to three years in prison and fines, and the other to one year probation.

Rights advocacy groups say these sentences conflict with the right to privacy under international human rights law.

It said this right was also reflected in the Algerian constitution, which provides protection for a person's "honor" and private life, including the privacy of their home, communications and correspondence.

Homosexuality in Algeria is illegal and punishable by prison. Same-sex relations are punishable under article 338 of the Criminal Code up to two years in prison.