HAPPENING NOW: LGBT Nigerians Jailed After Passage of New Anti-Gay Law

Contents:

• HAPPENING NOW: LGBT NIGERIANS JAILED AFTER PASSAGE OF NEW ANTI-GAY LAW
• HOMOSEXUALY: THE UNTRI WHERE IS ILLEGAL TO BE GAY
• WHY 'S A CRIME TO BE GAY NIGERIA
• 13 UNTRI WHERE BEG GAY IS LEGALLY PUNISHABLE BY ATH
• NIGERIA ANTI-GAY LAWS: FEARS OVER NEW LEGISLATN

HAPPENING NOW: LGBT NIGERIANS JAILED AFTER PASSAGE OF NEW ANTI-GAY LAW

The acced say they were attendg a birthday Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act, which banned gay relatnships and entrenched tolerance of sexual mori Nigerian society, was signed by Goodluck Jonathan, then print, January law ed an ternatnal outcry, wh nmnatn om global human rights anisatn and wtern ernments.

Surveys have historilly shown high levels of homophobia Nigeria, but some have poted to what mpaigners say is a tentative, growg acceptance of gay men and June, high urt judg Botswana led that laws crimalisg same-sex relatns were unnstutnal and should be stck down, a major victory for gay rights mpaigners Ai.

HOMOSEXUALY: THE UNTRI WHERE IS ILLEGAL TO BE GAY

Botswana is regard as one of Ai’s most stable and mocratic natns, but homosexualy was outlawed unr the untry’s penal of, Mozambique and the Seychell have scrapped anti-gay laws recent judg rejected the precent set by India, which last year legalised gay sex between nsentg adults, as well as by a seri of other judgments across the Commonwealth and elsewhere, and said Kenya should make s own laws to reflect s own Tanzania, thori Dar Salaam, the biggt cy, have lnched a seri of crackdowns on gay people recent years.

In April 2006, proposed legislatn to crimalize same-sex unns and GLBTI anisatns, was expand to clu people who celebrate or support same-sex unns, imposg five years imprisonment for “those who vlate the proposed law, cludg those who wns, celebrate wh or support upl volved [a] homosexual relatnship” [R1. In April 2006, proposed legislatn to crimalize same-sex unns and GLBTI anisatns, was expand to clu people who celebrate or support same-sex unns and rultg far-reachg nsequenc not only for gays and lbians, but anyone who eely associat wh them [R1.

999 Ikorodu Road/Toy Close, Weigh Bridge, Owo Onir, Lagos, the Lagos Magisterial District, did engage gay activi by permtg male persons to have nal knowledge of themselv agast the orr of nature and thereby mted an offence punishable unr Sectn 261 of the Crimal Law of Lagos State, 2015”. On 28 December 2016, Chief Magistrat Mrs MC Ojobo the Oredo Magistrat’ Court the Edo State pal Ben reportedly orred the remand of two men, Pl Frank, 31, and Ejimofor Christian, 22, for allegedly engagg homosexual rnal knowledge of each other [R3. On 24 November 2016, a magistrat urt Damatu reportedly sentenced four persons, Ali Sherif, 30, Yuf Maila, 45, Sule Hassan, 32 and Mtapha Usman, 23, to seven years prison followg their nvictn on charg of homosexualy [R3.

WHY 'S A CRIME TO BE GAY NIGERIA

On 17 September 2012, Senr Magistrate, Nafisatu Buba, sentenced Btwood Chwuemeka, a 28 year-old actor, rint of Gidan Mangoro, to a three-month term of imprisonment whout an optn of fe, for havg nsexual gay sex wh another man [R3. On 28 July 2013, Mistry of Foreign Affairs spokperson Ogbole Am O nied a 22 July 2013 report that Mister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashi had said that Nigeria would accept gay diplomats and their “spo” posted to the untry [R1. On 22 July 2013, Nigerian Mister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashi said London that Nigeria will allow foreign diplomats married to people of the same sex to the untry spe s ban on same-sex marriage and homosexualy [R1.

In January 2007, a bill banng same-sex marriage was beg bated the parliament, the sub-cls of which would ban membership of a gay or lbian group, and advotg gay and lbian equaly, hostg or visg a gay webse, rentg or sellg a property to a same-sex uple, takg or posssg photos of a gay or lbian uple, and even exprsns of same-sex love letters or emails. Homosexual acts are punishable by up to 14 years jail Nigeria, while gay marriage and displays of same-sex affectn are also event that was raid was to raise awarens about HIV ttg the gay muny Lagos, activist for gay rights Nigeria Bisi Alimi told the BBC. Livg fearChris Ewokor, BBC Ai, AbujaNigeria has an fluential Christian evangelil movement the south and strong support for Islamic law the north, both of which oppose Nigeria passed a law crimalisg same sex marriage and gay anisatns 2013, law enforcement agents have cracked down on people spected of homosexualy.

Northern stat unr Sharia - Islamic relig law - have the ath penalty for people nvicted of same-sex offenc which other stat rry a 14-year jail is not the first arrt for engagg acts of homosexualy but so far prosecutns have never end relatns are explicly banned 72 untri, acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA) number of stat that crimalise same-sex relatns is creasg annually, though, wh Belize and the Seychell repealg such laws last year.

13 UNTRI WHERE BEG GAY IS LEGALLY PUNISHABLE BY ATH

Nigeria is one of a small number of untri which has gone agast a global untry has had a ban on gay relatnships sce 1901, and 2013 also outlawed same-sex marriag, gay groups and shows of same-sex public on this story. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Kamala Harris has been a vol supporter of LGBTQ rightsUS Vice-Print Kamala Harris who is on a tour of three Ain untri - Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia - has drawn cricism over her support for LGBTQ Ghana, a speech llg for "all people be treated equally" she appeared to cricise a bill before the untry's parliament which crimalis advocy for gay rights and propos jail terms for those that intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, or untry's Speaker Alban Bagb later lled her remarks "unmocratic" and urged lawmakers not to be "timidated by any person" Tanzania, a former mister spoke agast US support for LGBTQ rights ahead of the vis and Zambia some opposn policians have threatened to hold is homosexualy still outlawed?

NIGERIA ANTI-GAY LAWS: FEARS OVER NEW LEGISLATN

In the same month, the high urt Barbados stck out laws that crimalised gay July last year, the urts Antigua and Barbuda clared a law crimalisg same-sex acts between nsentg adults Febary 2021, Angola's Print Joao Louren signed to law a revised penal to allow same-sex relatnships and ban discrimatn on the basis of sexual 2020, Gabon reversed a law that had crimalised homosexualy and ma gay sex punishable wh six months prison and a large fe. Mozambique and the Seychell have also scrapped anti-homosexualy laws recent there are untri where existg laws outlawg homosexualy have been tightened, cludg Nigeria and 's parliament recently passed a law to crack down on homosexual activi, promptg wispread source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Campaign agast LGBTQ rights some Ain untri has tensified recent weeksAnd some untri, efforts to get the laws removed have May 2019, the high urt Kenya upheld laws crimalisg homosexual acts. Although the origal Brish laws applied only to men, untri that crimalise homosexualy today also have penalti for women who have sex wh Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (Ilga) monors the progrs of laws relatg to homosexualy around the says the ath penalty is the legally prcribed punishment for same-sex sexual acts Bnei, Iran, Mrania, Sdi Arabia, Yemen and some northern stat of five untri - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, and the Uned Arab Emirat - there is no legal clary and the ath penalty uld be source, AFPImage ptn, An Indian gay rights activist protts agast a urt lg 2013 upholdg a law which crimalis gay repealed the ath penalty for nsensual same-sex sexual acts observers note that the risk of prosecutn some plac is mimal.