Iraq Criminalizes Being Gay With Up To 15 Years In Prison

Iraq’s parliament has passed an amendment to existing legislation to explicitly criminalize being gay, imposing heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people. https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1784594687283622161 From Reuters:

The law aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the world,” according to a copy of the law seen by Reuters.

The Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality bans same-sex relations with at least 10 years and a maximum of 15 years in prison, and mandates at least seven years in prison for anybody who promotes homosexuality or prostitution.

It also imposes between one and three years in prison for anyone who changes their “biological gender” or wilfully dresses in an effeminate manner.

The legislation originally included the death penalty for same-sex acts, but that language was stripped out prior to passage following strong denouncements from the United States and European nations. The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Saturday saying the legislation “threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society.” Until now, Iraq hadn’t explicitly criminalized homosexuality, but the LGBTQ community has long been targeted by vague “morality clauses” in its penal code. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 67 countries criminalize same-sex relations. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1784351839825133916