Sarah Hegazi
Sarah Hegazi | |
|---|---|
| سارة حجازي | |
 | |
| Born | 1 October 1989 |
| Died | 14 June 2020 (aged 30) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
Sarah Hegazi (1 October 1989—14 June 2020) was an Egyptian communist, feminist, and queer activist. She was arrested and tortured by the Egyptian government after waving a pride flag at a Mashrou Leila concert.
Persecution[change | change source]
Whilst attending a concert in Cairo on the 22nd of October 2017 of the Lebanese band Mashrou Leila, whose lead singer is openly gay; Hegazi, amongst others in the crowd, waved a rainbow LGBTQ+ flag. She was arrested days after the concert, and was the only woman arrested after the concert among at least 56 others[1].
Hegazi was charged with "promoting sexual deviancy" and "joining a group in violation of the law and incitement to immorality and debauchery"[2][3]. She spent three months in a women's prison, including nine days in solitary confinement. Hegazi was spitefully targeted by prison officers who encouraged other prisoners to abuse her[2], and was violently tortured with electricity, which the officers threatened harm on her mother if she told anyone about it[4].
Hegazi left prison with serious mental health problems. In a blog post, she wrote that she was afraid of people, even her family and friends. She expressed wanting to leave Egypt for fear of being arrested again[4].
Context: LGBTQ+ rights in Egypt[change | change source]
Homosexuality is not explicitly outlawed in Egyptian jurisprudence. The 1961 Law on Combating Prostitution was made in a newly independent Egypt as a reaction to the British colonial rule which had brought about brothels and prostitution. This law was used within the arrest of those at the Mashrou Leila concert, even though it does not explicitly outlaw homosexuality[5].
Asylum in Canada[change | change source]
Death[change | change source]
Legacy[change | change source]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Maurice, Emma Powys (15 June 2020). "Sara Hegazy, the pioneering Egyptian LGBT+ activist who was tortured for flying a Pride flag, has died by suicide". Pink News. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Arraf, Jane (18 June 2018). "After Crackdown, Egypt's LGBT Community Contemplates 'Dark Future'". NPR. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "القضاء المصري يفرج بكفالة عن شاب وشابة لوحا بعلم يرمز الى المثليين". Swissinfo. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.madamasr.com/ar/2018/09/24/opinion/u/%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%88-%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D8%8C-%D9%88%D8%A5/
- ↑ Imran, Yousra Samir (19 June 2020). "Remembering Sara Hegazy: Arab LGBT community mourns the loss of a 'beacon of hope'". New Arab. Retrieved 2 May 2024.