CAIRO, Dec 24 (Aswat Masriya) - An international short film festival announced on Tuesday the "immediate" exclusion of an Egyptian Journalist who reported a "gay bath house orgy" to the police in early December.

The Shnit shortfilm festival announced that it "completely distances from and condemns the practices – professional and ethical – employed by Mona Iraqi as a TV reporter in the events of December 7th in Cairo". It described the practices as being "at utter odds with the principles of the shnit International Shortfilmfestival."

Iraqi was working on a report on the spread of HIV in Egypt, when she discovered the bath house and reported the incident to the police.

She served as the manager of the festival's Cairo "playground", a name given to the cities where the festival is held.

Founded in the Swiss city of Bern in 2003, the festival's objective was to "promote short films as an independent art form of film and to present them to an ever broader audience." The festival expanded across five continents in the cities of Bangkok, Bern, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Cape Town, Kyoto and San José. 

The Azbakiya Prosecution referred on December 17 to the misdemeanour court 26 men arrested over holding a "gay bath house orgy".

The vice police raided a bath house in downtown Cairo's Ramses neighbourhood on December 9, arresting those inside.

The prosecution accused the bath house owner and four others of running the place to "practice, facilitate and incite debauchery." The 21 other men were accused of "debauchery" and violating public decency.

The men are scheduled to face court on December 21.

The men accused of running the bath house could face up to nine years in prison, while the remaining defendants could face up to four years.