An Egyptian television host has been given prison time for interviewing a gay sex worker on his show. The presenter, Mohammed al-Gheiti, was convicted of encouraging immorality when he chose to interview the gay man. He was sentenced to one year in jail at hard labor.

According to the AP: “Egypt has waged a crackdown on perceived homosexuality in recent years, imprisoning people on vague charges of “debauchery.” Homosexuality is not a crime in Egypt, but is widely seen as taboo in the conservative, Muslim-majority country. Prostitution is illegal.”

Interestingly enough, the TV host has often voiced anti-LGBT views in the past, but his interview with the sex worker (whose face remained blurred), was enough for the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to pull the network off air for two weeks for “professional violations.”

A private lawyer took the host and the network to court by claiming that the program linked homosexuality with financial gain.

This also comes after Egypt has led an alarming crackdown on the LGBT community. [BBC]