Cross-dressing men flogged in Sudan

[MarieDelta]

This from the BBC-
[ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10871494 ]



Cross-dressing men flogged in Sudan for being 'womanly'

The court said the 19 men had broken Sudan's strict public morality codes.

Police arrested them at a party where they were found dancing "in a womanly fashion", the judge said.

The men were not represented in court and said nothing in their defence, some hid their faces from the hundreds of people who watched as they were lashed.


'Scared'

The sentence of 30 lashes was carried out as soon as the court in Omdurman, near Khartoum, gave its ruling.

They must also pay fines of as much as 1,000 Sudanese pounds ($400, £252).

One lawyer, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency the men had not received a fair trial.

"These people did not get a chance for justice, public opinion and the media prejudged them and lawyers were too scared to come and defend them," he said.

Newspapers had called the party a "same sex wedding".

'Imported'

Northern Sudan is governed by Sharia law, under which homosexuality is illegal.

Laws governing "indecent clothing" were highlighted by a case last year in which a female journalist was sentenced to be flogged for wearing trousers.

The sentence was commuted to a fine.

Homosexuality is not tolerated in Southern Sudan either, where most people are Christian or follow traditional beliefs, the BBC's James Copnall says.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir recently told a radio station that homosexuality was an "imported" idea.

"It [homosexuality] is not in our character. It is not there and if anybody wants to import it to Sudan it will always be condemned by everybody," he said.

[hazelcd]

Abide by the laws of the land no matter how primitive they maybe thats what I was always told, I always make sure I can go out dressed legally whenever I visit new places:)

[darkeyes]

Abide by the laws of the land no matter how primitive they maybe thats what I was always told, I always make sure I can go out dressed legally whenever I visit new places:)

Most of us probably break the law unwittingly a dozen times a day in our own countries.. it is so much more difficult when visting another.. and for some it can have the most awful consequences.. a British woman was arrested in Dubai for walking thorugh a shopping mall in a bikini..charged with indecency.. the charges were dropped but it justs shows you never know. Whenever I visit a foreign country I do a good bit of research about the do's and don'ts.. France I know well and its like second nature now but visiting countries I know less well calls on some thorough research.

.. but in this instance we are talking principally about Sudanese nationals.. yes its primitive and barabaric and shouldn't be, but as with so many other things in foreign places we can be appalled by we are essentially helpless to act.. Governments can and sometimes do act, and this can sometimes help its own nationals, and it can occasionally bring another country a little closer to the 21st century.. I do personally what I can in my own country to bring such things to the attention to my own people and try to get our government to act on things through various organisations.. but it is an uphill battle.. floggings and even executions of British national and other foreign nationals in some countries for breaking laws we may believe trivial happens, but different cultures do have different standards and moral codes and before travelling abroad we should always remember that.. forget it at your peril... so do that research before you travel... although its even better to do it before you book...