JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia police have arrested several men, who appeared in analleged gay wedding video, which went viral on social media.
In the video, the gay couple can be seen walking down the aisle with musicin the background and being showered in confetti at an outdoor venue. Oneof them seems to be wearing a long bridal veil.
On Monday, Makkah police said “they had identified the cross-dresser andother people involved in the incident”.
“Officers arrested a number of people at the event and their cases had beenreferred to prosecutors,” they added. However, identity of the arrested hasnot been disclosed.
Saudi Arabia has no written laws concerning sexual orientation or genderidentity, but judges use principles of Islamic law to sanction peoplesuspected of extra-marital sexual relations, homosexual sex or otherimmoral acts, according to US-based Human Rights Watch.
The country’s anti-cybercrime law also criminalises online activityimpinging on “public order, religious values, public morals, and privacy”.
There have been reports the country’s prosecution office is planning torequest the death penalty for anyone “using social media to solicithomosexual acts.”
The Makkah police said the “gay wedding scene” had taken place on Fridayduring a festival at a resort in the holy city and had “surprised” peoplethere.