36 Men Arrested in Lebanon Given Anal Probes

 36 men were arrested [ar] in Beirut under suspicion of homosexual activity. The raid took place in the Bourj Hammoud neighborhood at Cinema Plaza, which is considered to be a gay cruising venue. Lebanese police also cracked down on other venues deemed to be places of “debauchery and prostitution”.

Moreover, the detainees were subjected to forced anal examinations, which would supposedly prove their homosexuality. The examinations are based on outdated medical knowledge from the 19th century, and are considered a violation of bodily rights and a form of torture according to international human rights standards.

The raid came after months of a campaign waged [ar] by a famous TV show on Lebanon's Murr TV (MTV) channel called “Anta Hurr”, inciting hatred [ar] against gays.

The Lebanese LGBT Media Monitor, a project by Lebanese LGBT group Raynbow, haswritten about the anti-gay campaign on their website:

Another outrageous report by MTV, the Lebanese TV station now popular for its bigotry, racism, homophobia, and hate-incitement was aired on May 8, 2012. The Anta Hurr (أنت حر Arabic for “You are free”) episode included using a hidden camera inside an adult all-men movie theater in Lebanon’s second largest city, Tripoli. The video shows shadows of men masturbating and a short sexual chat with one of them. [Presenter] Joe Maalouf called on officials to close the theater permanently. The next day, Cinema Hamra in Tripoli was shut down without any official or public response by any politician or leader.

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