(Catar) - A gay man from Nepal has been released from prison after he was found guilty of “engaging in homosexual activities”. The court suspended his year’s prison sentence and ordered a subsequent deportation. The decision revised an early sentence, taken in absentia, to jail the man for one year. Local newspapers write that the decision was revised because the court found it "useless" to keep the man in custody for one year with no prospects for “rectification”.
The court decided to reopen the trial as the man challenged the verdict given in February because he was not informed about the hearing. The now released man, 26, was arrested on August 28, 2005, just two weeks after his arrival in Qatar , but was later put on bail. A police officer informed the Public Prosecution that a Qatari man handed over the man to the authorities “because he looked abnormal”.
