Egypt Jails 8 Men Over Video of Gay Wedding

Eight men in Egypt have to spend the next three years in prison for the crime of celebrating a gay wedding, reports Reuters. The men were convicted today of "inciting debauchery" over the video, which surfaced on YouTube in August and purported to show the nation's first gay, if unofficial, marriage. The "debauchery" is apparently the sight of two men exchanging rings and embracing as their friends cheer, reports AP.

Family members protested outside the courthouse in Cairo after the verdicts were announced. Gay marriage is not legal in Egypt, and homosexuality is still very much a taboo, explains the BBC. Prosecutors called the video "shameful to God" and "offensive to public morals." Human Rights Watch complained in September that gay men are routinely arrested and tortured in the country. (More Egypt stories.)