YOUR FAVORITE LOGO TV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Tunisian Police Clear Teen Of Murder Charges But Arrest Him For Being Gay

"I want to get out and resume a normal life... I don't want to be rejected by society."

A judge in Tunisia has sentenced a young student to a year in jail after he confessed to having had a sexual relationship with a man who was murdered in the resort city of Sousse.

The unnamed defendant's number appeared in the victim's phone, but when police investigated he denied any involvement in the death.

He did, however, confess that the two had been lovers.

Getty Images

XXXL arab spring protestors

Authorities believed his story but, after conducting a demeaning medical exam, handed him over to prosecutors for violating Article 230 of the Tunisian penal code.

"My client had to undergo an anal exam against his will," his attorney told AFP.

Last week the young man was sentenced to 12 months behind bars.

"I want to get out and resume a normal life," he said. "I wonder what I'm going to do about my job and studies. I don't want to be rejected by society."

Homosexuality is illegal for both men and women, with a maximum sentence of three years.

In February, a Swedish tourist was jailed for two years for "homosexual acts."

"This law is an infringement upon freedom," said Yamina Thabet, president of the Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities (ATSM), at the time. "The ATSM is repeating its call for the decriminalization of homosexuality."

This summer, a group called Shams (“Sun”), was started to help protect LGBT people in Tunisia and fight to overturn the law. (The group takes its name from Shams Tabrizi, the lover and mentor of Sufi poet Rumi.)

Their goal is to spread awareness and offer “emotional and social support for fragile youth.”

“Some Tuni­sian homosexuals commit suicide because they cannot stand being gay in this society," said Sham's Ahmed Ben Amor. "They cannot face the abuse of their families."

Latest News