‘Anal test for homosexuals’ law suit set for Mombasa hearing
The Human Rights Watch has heavily criticized the decision by Kenya to forcibly conduct anal examinations and HIV tests to homosexual suspects in Mombasa last year.
This development is currently a subject of a bizarre court case that will be heard Wednesday at the Mombasa law courts.
In the historic case, two petitioners both male adults identified in the petition only as C.O.I and G.M.N., argue that doctors at Mombasa’s Coast General Hospital (also known as Madaraka Hospital) in collaboration with law enforcement officials, violated their rights by subjecting them to forced anal examinations, HIV tests, and other blood tests in February last year while they were in police custody on charges of alleged homosexual conduct.
According to the US-based Human Rights Watch, the petition is necessary because forced anal examinations are considered a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment that may amount to torture by the international law.
“Anal examinations prove nothing, and they accomplish nothing, other than humiliating and demeaning people who are considered moral outcasts,” said Neela Ghosal, a senior researcher on lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender rights at Human Rights watch.
He added: “The men in the Mombasa case and dozens of others around the world should never have to undergo such a humiliating and demeaning procedure and governments should prevent this from happening to others in the future.”
