Egypt urged to end antigay persecution

The European Union parliament on Thursday called on Egypt to end its persecution of gay men, Agence France-Presse reports. The move comes after the sentencing last month of 21 gay men to terms of forced labor on charges of "debauchery." The EU parliament said it is calling on Cairo "to stop persecuting gays and to prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation." Homosexuality is not specifically banned by Egyptian law, but it can nevertheless be punished under several different morality laws.