Saudi police arrest men following 'gay wedding' video

Authorities do not provide details of charges facing those involved

Harriet Agerholm
Thursday 11 January 2018 14:03 GMT
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Saudi police arrest men following 'gay wedding' video

Police in Saudi Arabia have arrested several men who appeared in a "gay wedding scene".

A video circulated widely online shows two men walking side by side as they are showered in confetti. A long bridal train appears to trail along the ground behind one of the men.

Mecca Police have said they had identified "the cross-dresser and other people involved in the incident".

Officers arrested a number of people at the event and their cases had been referred to prosecutors, they added.

But they did not name the men or provide details of the charges they faced.

Police said the event had happened at a festival at a resort in the holy city, and had left people present "surprised".

The Kingdom does not have written laws concerning same sex relationships, but Saudi judges use principles of sharia law to sanction people they suspect of having sex with someone of the same gender, according to Human Rights Watch.

Judges and prosecutors use provisions of the country’s anti-cybercrime law that criminalises online activity impinging on “public order, religious values, public morals, and privacy.”

There have been reports the country's prosecution office is planning to request the death penalty for anyone “using social media to solicit homosexual acts.”

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