THEGAYUK

Tag: Saudi Arabia News

Get the latest LGBT+ Saudi Arabia news from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Saudi Arabia.

  • Owen Jones calls the Natural History Museum to cancel Saudi Embassy event

    In a tweet, Owen Jones has called upon the Natural History Museum to cancel an event hosted by the Saudi Embassy.

    (C) National History Musemn

    According to Guardian Journalist, Owen Jones, the Saudi Embassy is to hold an event at the Natural History Museum tonight. He called upon the museum to cancel the event saying, “The Saudi dictatorship is massacring thousands in Yemen and is currently accused of kidnapping and murdering a journalist.”

    Saudi Arabia is also one of the countries where being gay can still attract the death penalty for those found guilty.

    The Natural History Museum, which sees 5.2 million people pass through its doors every year, is often used to host charity and gala events in its iconic building in London.

    Amnesty International notes,

    “Women and girls continued to face discrimination in law and practice, despite the government’s promised reforms. Women were required to have permission from a male guardian – their father, husband, brother or son – to enrol in higher education, seek employment, travel or marry. They also remained inadequately protected against sexual and other forms of violence”

    “Courts continued to impose death sentences for a range of crimes, including drug offences or for conduct that under international standards should not be criminalized, such as “sorcery” and “adultery”. Many defendants were sentenced to death after unfair trials by courts that convicted them without adequately investigating allegations of coerced “confessions”, including under torture.”

    Commercial events bring an “important source of external funding”

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com a spokesperson for the museum said,

    “The Natural History Museum was booked by the Saudi embassy over two months ago as a venue for an external event to celebrate Saudi Arabia Day. No Museum staff are attending as guests or speaking at the event.

    “Enabling commercial events to take place outside of public opening hours in our iconic spaces brings the Museum an important source of external funding, which allows us to maintain our position as a world class scientific research centre and visitor attraction. We hold a wide variety of commercial events and it is made clear to any host that doing so is not an endorsement of their product, service or views.

    “We have an Ethics Policy and a Third Party Engagement Policy. These policies are publicly available on the Museum’s website.”

  • 13 Countries that will kill you for being gay

    13 Countries that will kill you for being gay

    There are still many countries in which being gay can attract the death penalty for engaging in same-sex sexual relations. Of these countries, all are located in Central Africa or in the Middle East.

    13 Countries that will kill you for being gay
    CREDIT: TheGayUK

    There are the countries places on earth that have specific laws which call for the death penalty of those who are found to have engaged in homosexual acts.

    Afghanistan

    Men could face execution but are more likely to receive long prison sentences. No executions are known to have been handed out since the end of the Taliban rule.

    Brunei*

    Gay men in Brunei could be stoned or given 10 years in prison if found guilty of homosexual acts.

    Iran

    In Iran, gay men can be lashed up to 74 times for “immature men” and the death penalty for mature men of sound mind – and where the acts were consenting. Women can be lashed 50 times and can face the death penalty after their fourth conviction.

    Mauritania

    Homosexuality is against the law in Mauritania and could attract the death penalty, however, there have been no public executions since 1987.

     

    Qatar

    In Qatar, gay men may face execution if they are Muslim otherwise men can face fines and a prison sentence which lasts 7 years.

     

    Saudi Arabia

    A second conviction of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia will land a death penalty. For the first offence, men can face fines, castration, flogging, prison and torture.

     

    Sudan

    Homosexuality has been illegal in Sudan since 1899. Death penalty occurs on the third offence for men and four offences for women.

     

    Yemen

    Married men can expect to be stoned to death if caught having same-sex relations. Unmarried men will receive 100 lashes or one-year imprisonment.

     

    Libya

    Gay men could face death in Libya.

     

    Nigeria

    Homosexuality is illegal in some states of Nigeria and could attract the death penalty. These states include: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara

     

    Somalia

    Homosexuality is illegal in Somalia and could attract a death penalty. Islamic courts have sentenced men to their deaths using Sharia law as their legal basis.

     

    Syria

    The actual penalty that gay men should face for homosexual acts is a prison for up to 3 years, however, due to the rise in ISIS a highly advertised death awaits those found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual acts.

     

    Iraq

    Despite homosexuality not being illegal in Iraq, there have been reported executions of gay men in ISIS-controlled areas.

     

    * Brunei is a Sovereign state and not a country.

    There are some countries where although capital punishment might not be constitutionally ratified there are cases where gay people have been killed because of their sexuality.

  • A Saudi investor has bought a significant stake in The Independent

    A significant stake has been bought by Saudi Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel, who now owns between 25 and 50 percent of the company.

    A new co-owner of The Independent, which used to produce the Independent Pink / Rainbow List, has been announced as a Saudi investor, Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel, 42,  acquired over a quarter of the company. The deal values the Independent Digital News and Media company at £100 million.

    The Guardian reports that filings with Companies House show that Abuljadayel is based in Saudi and has no other business interests in the UK. The Independent itself released a statement which said that Abuljadayel is a “minority shareholder”.

    The move could prove to be controversial with its journalists, who are known for their liberalism and criticism of countries where there are known human rights issues.

    A spokesperson said Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel’s investment would, “secure further strategic growth” for the news outlet, Last year the outlet became the first national newspaper to turn digital-only.

    “At the same time, the editorial independence of The Independent has been formally protected by a new agreement between the shareholders,”

    “The new investment and the guarantee of editorial independence will allow The Independent to flourish into the future.”

    Editor Christian Broughton said the outlet, “would remain truly independent of any shareholders or business interests”, adding that the title’s reporting on Saudi Arabia would not be affected by the deal.

    Other shareholders in Independent Digital News and Media include company directors Evgeny Lebedev and Justin Byam Shaw.

     

     

     

     

  • Guess who’s coming for dinner… Theresa May criticised for breaking bread with anti-gay countries

    Prime Minister Theresa May has attracted criticism after accepting dinner invites with the leaders of  Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

    The problem is that in all of these nations being gay is illegal and in fact, in no less than two of those nations, the death penalty could be handed down to those convicted of conducting homosexual relationships. Many of the nations also have incredibly poor woman’s rights records as well as severely curtailed freedoms of speech for its citizens.

    The Prime Minister is there to attend a dinner before she meets with the Gulf Cooperation Council. She is due to announce a new working group to combat the financing of terrorists. Britain is also unveiling a permanent British defence staff in Dubai and will also provide three specialist cyber experts whose goals will be to detect and deal with extremism, according to the Independent.

    ALSO READ: Where In The World Is Homosexuality Punished By The Death Penalty

    Critics have taken to social media to vent their disgust at the decision to meet and eat with the leaders of these countries with appalling human rights history.

    ALSO READ: Man accused of being gay executed in Aleppo

  • Saudi Arabia Puts £2.4 Billion Into Uber

    Uber has had a cash injection from anti-gay Saudi Arabia. A cool £2.4bn to be precise.

    uber CREDIT: Uber

    The taxi disruptor tech giant, Uber, has had a giant investment from the Saudi Arabia Public Investment fund (royal government’s investment arm) as it plans to expand into the middle east. Saudi Arabia which bans women from driving has found that 80 per cent of Uber’s customers are women. The deal is said to be worth £2.4bn, $3.5bn (US) and is one of the largest investments in a tech firm the country has ever made.

    Saudia Arabia is one of the countries where homosexuality can still attract the death sentence. Men found guilty of homosexual acts can be executed by stoning.

    The investment now means the company’s value stands at $62.5bn and will give Yasir Al Rumayya, the managing director of public investment fund a chair at one of Silicon Valley’s most prized firms.

    Uber has had a troubling history of anti-gay incidents, especially in the US, its home market, with Twitter users reporting their homophobic experiences from drivers on their timelines.

    Recently an alleged verbal assault in London left one gay man fearing for his safety after he asked his driver what his ‘craziest’ ride was. The driver, according to customer Lewis Peters, left him in shock, when the driver described two men kissing in the back of his car which he said was “disgusting” and “vile”.

    Uber responded by saying,

    “Uber celebrates diversity and does not tolerate any form of discrimination whatsoever.

    “We take any allegations of discriminatory behaviour very seriously and it is our policy with any serious incident to prevent the partner-driver from using our app while we investigate.”

  • Where In The World Is Homosexuality Punished By The Death Penalty

    Where In The World Is Homosexuality Punished By The Death Penalty

    There are many countries and states where homosexual acts could land you the death penalty. Of these countries, all are located in Central Africa or in the Middle East.

    Where In The World Is Homosexuality Pubishable By Death
    CREDIT: TheGayUK

    There are the countries places on earth that have specific laws which call for the death penalty of those who are found to have engaged in homosexual acts.

    Afghanistan

    Men could face execution but are more likely to receive long prison sentences. No executions are known to have been handed out since the end of the Taliban rule.

    Brunei*

    Gay men in Brunei could be stoned or given 10 years in prison if found guilty of homosexual acts.

    Iran

    In Iran gay men can be lashed up to 74 times for “immature men” and the death penalty for mature men of sound mind – and where the acts were consenting. Women can be lashed 50 times and can face the death penalty after their fourth conviction.

    Mauritania

    Homosexuality is against the law in Mauritania and could attract the death penalty however there have been no public executions since 1987.

     

    Qatar

    In Qatar, gay men may face execution if they are Muslim otherwise men can face fines and a prison sentence which lasts 7 years.

     

    Saudi Arabia

    A second conviction of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia will land a death penalty. For first offence, men can face fines, castration, flogging, prison and torture.

     

    Sudan

    Homosexuality has been illegal in Sudan since 1899. Death penalty occurs on the third offence for men and four offence for women.

     

    Yemen

    Married men can expect to be stoned to death if caught having same-sex relations. Unmarried men will receive 100 lashes or one-year imprisonment.

     

    Libya

    Gay men could face death in Libya.

     

    Nigeria

    Homosexuality is illegal in some states of Nigeria and could attract the death penalty. These states include: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara

     

    Somalia

    Homosexuality is illegal in Somalia and could attract a death penalty.

     

    Syria

    The actual penalty that gay men should face for homosexual acts is a prison for up to 3 years, however, due to the rise in ISIS a highly advertised death awaits those found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual acts.

     

    Iraq

    Despite homosexuality not being illegal in Iraq, there have been reported executions of gay men in ISIS controlled areas.

     

    * Brunei is a Sovereign state and not a country.

    There are some countries where although capital punishment might not be constitutionally ratified there are cases where gay people have been killed because of their sexuality.