Cross-dresser arrested in Bahrain for “walking in a feminine way”

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A man was sentenced to one month in prison followed by deportation after he was apprehended for wearing women’s accessories and makeup in Bahrain.

The expatriate Arab was arrested by a police patrol as he was walking “in a feminine way” in the Bahraini capital Manama and attracted the attention of the servicemen.

He said that he worked in a women’s beauty salon and that his profession demanded that he always looked elegant and wore the latest fashion accessories to set a positive example for his clients.

The public prosecution was not convinced by the arguments and charged him with encouraging debauchery. He was subsequently referred to a court that ruled to keep him in jail for one month.

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Cross-dressing is banned in Bahrain and in the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Foreigners who are apprehended for their “unacceptable looks” in public are often jailed for a short period before they are sent home.

Local conservatives have regularly called for tougher measures against cross-dressers and gays, accusing them of spreading vice, particularly among young people.

Man jailed for posting video of sleeping friend

An Arab man has been incarcerated pending trial at the Al Ruwais Misdemeanour Court after he allegedly took a video of the complainant and his family while they were asleep and posted it on Instagram.

The suspect and the victim's family and friends are believed to have been on a boat trip when the offender took the 15-second video and posted it on the internet without the consent of the man and his family. According to prosecution documents, the offender confessed to the charges against him adding that he reportedly did so as a joke and did not know that it would cause the complainant to become upset and insist on pressing charges.
The suspect also stated that he removed the video from the social media website. An official at the Public Prosecution warned residents against taking footage without the consent of those featured in it because it infringes on individuals' privacy. The source added that such acts are punishable by law whether they are committed due to ignorance or malicious intent.
Under UAE law, if videos or still images are taken without the second party's approval but are not published anywhere, then charges of invasion of privacy cannot usually be filed, law experts told Gulf News.
Additionally, defendants found guilty in cases of libel at the Court of Misdemeanours can be fined from Dh1,000 up to a maximum of Dh30,000. In such cases, the offensive material, whether in multimedia, print or audio form, is treated as evidence of the crime, the expert added.