Saudi authorities
arrested 20 young men after raiding a suspected
same-sex wedding in the southern town of Jizan, Agence
France-Presse and The Independent Online reported
Wednesday. The detainees, who were among some 400 men
attending "the wedding party of two men" on Tuesday,
had been "emulating women," according to the Al-Watan
newspaper.
In all, some 250
people were detained, but the rest were later released.
Police had "arrested the wanted people and released those
who have nothing to do with the matter," the paper
quoted a police commander as saying. Some guests were
also seen chewing qat, an illegal narcotic
widely used in neighboring Yemen, on a hill above the square
where the party was being held, Al-Watan said.
Homosexuality is
illegal in Saudi Arabia, punishable under local Islamic
laws. (The Advocate)