Report: Gay Saudi Man Arrested for Dating on Facebook 

A Saudi Arabian man has been arrested for allegedly using Facebook to set up dates with other men.

The unnamed 30-year-old man was arrested in late December by religious police and faces corporal punishment, fines, or possibly the death penalty, according to the website Gay Middle East. Conviction and punishment will depend on the man’s social class, religious standing, and citizenship and will be determined by a group of religious leaders.

News of the man’s arrest came to light during a recent visit by British prime minister David Cameron to Saudi Arabia, and global human rights agencies including Amnesty International have called for intervention in the arrest.

"Amnesty International considers the use of ‘sodomy’ laws to imprison (usually) men for same-sex relations in private to be a grave violation of human rights, including the rights to privacy, to freedom from discrimination, to freedom of expression and association, which are protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," Amnesty International said in a statement to Gay Middle East.

Any member of the Saudi religious police can use social media and gay dating sites to entrap gay men, with officials encouraging citizens to report "deviant" behavior.