Egypt refers 8 to trial for inciting debauchery

Egypt’s prosecutor general referred eight men to trial on charges of inciting debauchery after a viral video surfaced showing what authorities claim is a homosexual wedding.

The prosecutor said Monday the accused men are the same ones that appeared in the undated Youtube video. It shows a party on a Nile boat where two men exchange rings and embrace among cheering friends. A statement from the prosecutor called the video “shameful to God” and “offensive to public morals.”

Human Rights Watch says one of the men reportedly called into a television show to deny that he was homosexual or that the event was a wedding.

The organization says Egyptian authorities have repeatedly arrested and tortured men suspected of consensual homosexual conduct. No date has been set for the trial.