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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)
