CYPRIOT MEN ARRESTED FOR HAVING SEX

Two men have been arrested in Northen Cyprus, allegedly for sharing a bed and “having sexual relations against nature”.

According to the Kibris Newspaper, the men were arrested on 20 July for having sex in a hostel following complaints from a neighbour.

One of the men, named only as A. K., was accused of regularly bringing men home.

The other defendant, H.K., reportedly did not deny the charges while A. K. insisted that he was being slandered and is simply “a single man”.

If found guilty, the men could face up to five years in jail.

LGBT rights group Shortbus North Cyprus, slammed the arrests, writing on Facebook: “The crime is not sharing the same bed with the one you love, the crime is spurning basic human rights! This law must be changed – It is time to take action.”

While homosexuality was legalised in 1998 in the rest of Cyprus, Northern Cyprus is an independent state in which gay sex remains criminalised.