Mosaic LGBT awareness session

Mosaic organization specialized in advocacy on gender issues and rights of marginalized groups hosted a talk on Monday to raise awareness among LGBT on how to act in case of arrest. Entitled ‘Legal Prevention’, the talk, the first in a series of monthly sessions by Mosaic, provided tips around the rights of LGBT persons in the event of detention. Lawyer Layal Saqr who conducted the session gave the following advice: “First, get rid of your mobile phones by throwing or destroying them, but never hand them to your captor; make sure the mobile does not contain any evidence of your sexuality, and finally, contact your lawyer immediately”. However, Saqr maintained, the law does not require the presence of an attorney at the preliminary interrogation at the police station, which renders the call rather ineffective but yet necessary. The talk also discussed the practice of anal examinations LGBT persons are usually forced to take to determine evidence of their sexual orientation. Saqr advised against yielding to such tests that debase their dignity, reminding of the circular released in 2012 by the Public Prosecution of Appeal which required the doctors to obtain the consent of the person involved before conducting the test. Nonetheless, the same circular insinuates that rejection to do the test is a plain evidence of homosexuality, Saqr said. She also pointed to a prejudiced detention that differentiates between lesbians and gays, noting that the arrest is larger among gay men because of the position of Lebanese society. In conclusion, Saqr said, “The situation of LGBT is way better now than it has been years ago, especially with regard to the recent court rulings by judges of the Court of First Degree and the Mount Lebanon Appeal Court who decriminalized homosexuality.(c.f: https://bit.ly/2M7eET4). (Al Akhbar, August 1, 2018)

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