A rape victim in Tunisia has been jailed for being gay after cops said a brutal physical examination proved sex with his attackers was consensual.
The victim, named as AF, underwent the “invasive examination” after reporting his attack in the North African country last month.
According to Le Monde, the 22-year-old man was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for homosexuality and filing a false allegation after he reported the rape.
It’s reported that following initial questioning, the victim was forced to undergo an anal examination to determine whether he “habitually” engaged in anal sex.
The examination has been condemned as “invasive” and “unscientific” by human rights groups.
It’s claimed the victim was confronted with two attackers after arranging to meet one man via Facebook in January.
But during the meeting on January 2, the victim was raped and had his belongings stolen by the men.
He went to the police station to report the attack and after questioning, investigators accused him of homosexuality and ordered a forced anal examination.
The results of the exam were negative and despite police combing through his phone and social media for proof of homosexuality, no evidence was found, according to Al Araby.
Despite this, the victim was remanded in custody and earlier this week he was sentenced to six months in prison for homosexuality and two months for filing a false allegation.
The accused attackers were each sentenced to six months in prison for sodomy and two months for theft and violence.
Human Rights Watch condemned the forced examination as “invasive” and a violation of international law.
Senior researcher for the LGBT Rights program Neela Ghoshal said: “Instead of treating [him] as a victim in need of support, police detained him and subjected him to a forced anal examination at a local hospital.”
“These unscientific and invasive “exams,” – in which doctors penetrate a victim with a finger or an object to assess whether they ‘habitually’ engage in anal sex – violate international law and can be traumatic for anyone who undergoes them, let alone a rape victim.”
President of Shams, a Tunisian LGBT rights group, Mounir Baatour told The Independent that the victim’s mother has not stopped crying since the ruling.
Baatour said: ““His mother has been very affected….She does not stop crying. His friends are all angry.”
He confirmed that the victim, as well as his friends and family, are set to launch an appeal.