EGYPTIAN CRACKDOWN ON THE GAY COMMUNITY

That this House condemns in the strongest possible terms the arrest of 26 men in Cairo by the Egyptian government on the charge of debauchery; notes with concern the stigma the ensuing trial will place upon the men involved, causing detriment to their careers and families; believes that this latest arrest is part of a worrying trend of human rights abuses resulting in the restriction of basic rights and freedoms of the gay community in Egypt; recognises the alarming implications that such action has for human rights and freedom within wider Egyptian society; and calls on the Government to work with international partners and all relevant aspects of civil society to do everything in its power to press the Egyptian government to take urgent action in order to guarantee the fundamental human rights of all Egyptian citizens regardless of sexuality, gender, ethnicity or creed.