Egyptian LGBTQ activist dead in suspected suicide
Sarah Hegazi was arrested in 2017 after raising the rainbow gay pride flag at a concert in Cairo.
An LGBTQ activist jailed after waving a rainbow flag at a concert in Egypt was found dead over the weekend in a suspected suicide, the local press reports.
Egyptian authorities arrested Sarah Hegazi, 30, in October 2017 over the raising of the gay pride flag at concert performed by Lebanese indie-rock group Mashrou’ Leila, whose lead singer is openly gay.
Homosexuality isn’t officially outlawed in Egypt, but rights groups say security forces frequently target people based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation using the country’s law against debauchery.
Hegazi, the only woman of more than 70 rounded up in the sweeping anti-gay crackdown, was charged with “promoting sexual deviancy and debauchery.” At the time of her arrest, the activist said an officer asked her if she was a virgin and why she wasn’t wearing a hijab.
