An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced 14 men convicted of being homosexuals to three years in jail each for "abnormal" sexual relations, a defence lawyer said.

Ishaq Wadie said the men were released on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($283, 230 euros) each until an appeals trial.

The trial of three other suspects was delayed over procedural reasons, the lawyer said.

Homosexuality is not expressly outlawed in Egypt, but gays have previously been charged with debauchery in the deeply conservative Muslim society.

In recent months, authorities have cracked down on people who practice so-called "abnormal" sexual relations, which in Egypt means homosexuality, or for inciting debauchery. Read more via AFP