Fridae

According to the only surviving Egyptian gay website, gayegypt.com, the trial of the 52 men who were arrested at a gay disco in May have been postponed to 10 October.

The London-based website reported that on 3 October, the court heard the "same old arguments", followed by "the same old decision" - "yet another postponement." The report also blamed President Hosni Mubarak not just for the men's continued imprisonment, but also for "hiring the thugs in the State Security Police who are responsible for making torture such a routine procedure in police methods."

During Wednesday's trial, the defence attorneys of 52 Egyptian men accused the Egyptian police of fabricating gay charges, according to a gay news website citing an Agence France-Presse report.

"The police fabricated this business to distract from more important issues," said Farid al-Dib, one of the defence lawyers. He submitted documents to the court showing that five years ago his client was held on suspicion of belonging to a militant Muslim group.

Since homosexuality is forbidden in the Muslim culture, al-Dib said the charges contradict each other. If found guilty, the men could face up to three years in prison.