Amnesty International is gravely concerned about the ongoing detention of scores of men in Egypt in connection with their sexual orientation, according to its press statement.

Fifty-four men are still being detained in prison since their arrest during the early hours of 11 May 2001. They now face accusations of immoral behaviour and contempt of religion.

The human rights organisation believes that the majority, if not all, of the men are detained purely on the grounds of their alleged sexual orientation. If people are detained solely on account of their sexual orientation, Amnesty International would consider them prisoners of conscience and call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Amnesty says that the men have been subjected to "examinations" to determine if they had engaged in anal sex. The results of the forensic medical examinations on all the detainees were presented during the hearings on 6 and 7 June.

The organisation also expressed its extreme concern about allegations that the detainees were tortured or ill treated during the first days of their detention and during their arrest and demand that the allegations be promptly investigated by the Egyptian authorities.

The organisation is still waiting for a response after a letter seeking further clarification about the detainees was sent to the Public Prosecutor a month ago.