Egypt 'Gay Marriage' Video Detainees to Face Trial

Eight men arrested in Egypt for appearing in a "gay marriage" video that went viral on the Internet have been referred to trial for inciting debauchery, judicial sources said Monday.

Homosexuality is not included in a list of sexual offenses explicitly outlawed by Egyptian law, but it can be punished under several different statutes on morality.

Seven of the nine men identified from the video were arrested on September 6. They tested negative after they were put through medical exams to detect whether they were homosexuals.

The eighth suspect was arrested days later.

The accused will now face trial in front of a misdemeanor court on charges of inciting debauchery and offending public morality, an official from the prosecutor's office said.

A total of 16 men were seen in the video, including the one who filmed the footage. Nine of them were identified by the authorities.

The footage showed a "gay marriage" ceremony aboard a Nile river boat.

The footage shows two men in the center kissing, exchanging rings and cutting a cake with their picture on it. 

The video went viral on social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

New York-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch has urged Egypt to release the men and condemned the tests done on them.

Medical tests in such cases has been a longstanding practice in Egypt used by the authorities to identify homosexuals.

Egyptian homosexuals have in the past been jailed on charges ranging from "scorning religion" to "sexual practices contrary to Islam."