The Bahrain 50 update: 49 Gay Men Were Held for a Month in Jail for Being Gay

Most "Gay party" participants in Bahrain warned and released

Dan Littauer, Executive Editor 4.3.2011 MANAMA, Bahrain - On the 3rd of February there was a mass arrest of close to 200 people at a suspected gay party in Muharraq, Bahrain. The arrest followed complaints by residents about noise levels. When the police arrived to the club they apparently reported they saw men dressed up and dancing as women. Some local media described the venue as a "gay party", and even spoke of gay orgy in the party. However this incident did not get much attention. The authorities charged 52 of the participantswith debauchery and prostitution which carries a maximum sentence of up to five years. They also charged some of the defendants with organising the party without a proper license as well as the consumption of alcohol and smoking illegal soft drugs. The defendants were held in jail since the 03 February. The Bahraini Court yesterday (3rd of March) sentenced 49 of the detainees in the "gay party case" to 1 to six months in prison. They found two of the defendants innocent and released them. 46-47 of the detainees are from Saudi Arabia. They all belong to the same clan and were accused of cross-dressing. Two detainees are from Qatar, two from Lebanon, and one is a Kuwaiti citizen. Although some local Bahraini media simply reported the jail sentence, our sources have verified that those who were not charged with drinking Alcohol (most of them) were allowed to walk away from jail back home on a mere 200 Bahraini Dinars Bail (about 530 US$). A few who had alcohol-related charges (up to four people) are still in custody. This is indeed a positive development. It seems that the government did not use full force (according to Bahraini law, debauchery can be punished for up to 5 years in prison) and rather used this as a kind of warning to the men found guilty. http://www.gaymiddleeast.com/news