CAIRO, Dec 20 (Aswat Masriya) – Over 150 individuals have been arrested in Egypt under the pretext of practicing "debauchery" during the past 18 months, a Cairo-based rights group said on Saturday.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) condemned the arrests in a statement on Saturday, calling for the fair trial of those facing similar charges.

The group specifically addressed the arrest of 26 men over holding a "gay bath house orgy". The men are set to face trial on Sunday for "practicing, facilitating and inciting debauchery".

EIPR described the incident as a "blatant violation of privacy", adding that it is part of an "organised security campaign launched by the vice police against homosexuals or those whose sexuality is not socially acceptable."

Egypt has recently clamped down on homosexual activities, arresting in September eight men who appeared in a Youtube video depicting an alleged homosexual marriage ceremony.

The Qasr al-Nil Misdemeanour Court sentenced the eight men to three years in prison on charges of inciting "debauchery" and "violating public decency" in November.

The trial was condemned by domestic and international civil society organisations. International watchdog Human Rights Watch had called for the defendants' release. The organisation condemned the Egyptian authorities' "persecution" of men "suspected of homosexual conduct" in a statement released on September 9. 

Human Rights Watch condemned the physical examination the defendants were subjected to, saying it "violates international standards against torture." Men arrested for alleged homosexual behaviour usually undergo anal examination.

EIPR condemned alleged security practices adopted against those arrested for their sexual orientation. The group said the police spies on such defendants, creates fake social media accounts to facilitate their arrest and "detains people for the way they walk or dress in public."

EIPR also accused security forces of exercising "physical and sexual violence" against those detained on such charges."

"We urge the interior ministry and especially the vice police to refrain from [breaching] peoples' privacy and to respect personal practices," EIPR said in the statement. It also called for implementing the constitution, which "affirms the right to privacy."

EIPR addressed the case of the "gay bath house orgy", calling for allowing the defence team access to the files of the case.

The vice police raided a bath house in downtown Cairo's Ramses neighbourhood two weeks ago, 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 accused of running the bath house could face up to nine years in prison, while the remaining defendants could face up to four years.

The incident was reported to the police by a journalist who discovered the bath house when working on a report on the spread of HIV in Egypt.

EIPR strongly condemned the journalist in question. It called on the administration of the private-owned satellite channel where her show is aired, al-Kahera Wal Nas, to refer her to investigation for "violating [journalism’s] code of ethics."

In 2001, 52 men were arrested in Egypt after the police raided a Nile boat restaurant where the men were said to be engaging in a "gay sex party", dubbed as the Queen Boat Trials. Twenty-three of the defendants were sentenced to prison for "immoral behavior and contempt of religion."

Article 9 of the 1961 Anti-Prostitution Law punishes those guilty of "inciting debauchery and immorality" by imprisonment for a period ranging from three to five years.