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

gay arrested in nigeria

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

“It has the potential to enurage stigatn of vlence agast gay people and lbians. The man had been sentenced to the btal punishment by an Islamic urt for mtg “homosexual offenc. But now, btal homophobic persecutn has h a new, unthkable low.

Anyone who speaks out support of, meets wh, or participat a group advotg for the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people also risks 10 years prison. Anyone uld acce their neighbor of beg gay, or of havg spoken out about LGBTI rights.

WHY 'S A CRIME TO BE GAY NIGERIA

New Nigerian law crimaliz same-sex marriage and gay anizatnsPenalti of up to 14 years jail for a gay marriageUp to 10 years%27 imprisonment for membership or enuragement of gay club%2C societi and anizatnsLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — First the police targeted the gay men, then tortured them to namg dozens of others who now are beg hunted down, human rights activists said Tuday, warng that such persecutn will rise unr a new Nigerian men's alleged crime? Belongg to a gay anizatn. Up to 10 years jail unr the Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act that is gettg ternatnal the "Jail the Gays" bill, further crimaliz homosexualy and will endanger programs fightg HIV-AIDS the gay muny, Dorothy Aken'Ova, executive director of Nigeria's Internatnal Center for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights, told the Associated Prs on Monday, Print Goodluck Jonathan's office nfirmed that the Nigerian lear signed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act that crimaliz gay marriage, gay anizatns and anyone workg wh or promotg wch hunt Bchi state all began wh a wild mor that the Uned Stat had paid gay activists $20 ln to promote same-sex marriage this highly relig and nservative natn, acrdg to an AIDS said he helped get bail for some 38 men arrted sce Christmas.

The man spoke on ndn of anonymy for fear he too would be and Aken'Ova said dozens of homosexuals have fled Bchi recent 'Ova, whose anizatn is helpg wh legal servic for the arrted men, said a law enforcement officer pretendg to be a gay man joed a group beg unseled on AIDS. Police taed four gay men and then tortured them until they named others allegedly belongg to a gay anizatn, she said, addg that police now have a list of 168 wanted gay said the arrts began durg the Christmas holidays and blamed "all the noise that was gog on surroundg the (same sex marriage prohibn) bill.

"Chairman Mtapha Baba Ilela of Bchi state Shariah Commissn, which overse regulatn of Islamic law, told the AP that 11 gay men have been arrted the past two weeks. Shariah is Islamic law, which is implemented to different gre ne of Nigeria's 36 said all 11 arrted — 10 Mlims and a non-Mlim — signed nfsns that they belonged to a gay anizatn, but that some of them retracted the statements nied there was any force volved: "They have never been tortured, they have never been beaten, they have never been timidated.

NIGERIA IS TRYG 47 MEN ARRTED A HOTEL UNR S ANTI-GAY LAWS

Olumi Makanjuola said lawyers for his Iniative For Equaly Nigeria are backg lawsus of several homosexuals arrted by police whout e.

He said police regularly and illegally go through the cell phone of a gay spect, then send text msag to lure the men or women are told they will be charged and their sexualy exposed unls they pay brib. It provis penalti cludg life imprisonment for "aggravated" homosexual sex. Inially, legislators had been mandg the ath sentence for Nigeria law provis penalti of up to 14 years jail for a gay marriage and up to 10 years' imprisonment for membership or enuragement of gay clubs, societi and anizatns.

GROUP: NIGERIA ARRTS GAY ‘SPECTS’ UNR NEW LAW BANNG HOMOSEXUALY

That uld clu even groups formed to bat AIDS among gays, activists U. Agency fightg AIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria exprsed "ep ncern that accs to HIV servic for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people will be severely affected by a new law Nigeria — further crimalizg LGBT people, anizatns and activi, as well as people who support them. The disease affects many more gay men per pa than heterosexuals.

No gay person has been subjected to such punishment. Forty-seven men acced of homosexualy are standg trial a Nigerian urt, their lawyer and a rights group told CNN.

The Nigeria Police Force, also the prosecutors, have now charged the men wh “public show of same sex amoro relatnship wh each other hidn plac” and claim the event was a gay iatn party. Mohammed said the police also parad them on televisn which she said had ma them the subject of homophobic attacks after they were released last year.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY ARRESTED IN NIGERIA

Group: Nigeria arrts gay 'spects' unr law banng homosexualy | CNN.

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