Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Saudi Arabia face repression and discrimination. [3] The government of Saudi Arabia provides no legal protections for LGBTQ rights. In Saudi Arabia, both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal, with the country’s legal system rooted in sharia law, derived from the 7th-century Quran and the Sunnah.
This presents a challenging environment for LGBT individuals, both locals and tourists alike. “I was going to lose my life,” he says now. This is the reality for LGBTQ people in Saudi Arabia under sharia law – a death sentence, a prison sentence, or a life of secrecy and terror. Sodomy is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, but gay life flourishes there.
Why it is “easier to be gay than straight” in a society where everyone, homosexual and otherwise, lives in the. LGBT Rights in Saudi Arabia: homosexuality, gay marriage, gay adoption, serving in the military, sexual orientation discrimination protection, changing legal gender, donating blood, age of consent, and more.
It says the death penalty is the legally prescribed punishment for same-sex sexual acts in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and in some northern states of Nigeria. Although the original British laws applied only to men, countries that criminalise homosexuality today also have penalties for women who have sex with women.
Dossiers Developing Stories Creative Series view all. But gays and lesbians in Saudi Arabia still need to accommodate the pressures of public life, in some cases pairing off to accommodate a freer lifestyle. Mozambique and the Seychelles have also scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years. Make a one time donation.
Please enable Gift Aid on my donation. In April, Saudi Arabia announced it had executed 37 men. But there are countries where existing laws outlawing homosexuality have been tightened, including Nigeria and Uganda. This followed reports that prosecutors were pushing for more severe penalties, including the death penalty, for LGBT people. However, in 12 northern states, the regional penal code adopt Sharia law, which penalises homosexual acts with death or flogging.
We want to be sure you know how and why we use your data. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Iranian government has justified its stance on homosexuality by citing religious and cultural reasons, claiming that homosexuality is a sin and goes against Islamic values. In addition to imprisonment, those who are found guilty of homosexuality may also face fines, public flogging or other forms of punishment, such as capital punishment.
In February , when a court in Ibn, southern Yemen, sentenced 13 students to death for "spreading homosexuality. In , the Saudi Arabian government orchestrated a mass-execution of 37 men who were accused of espionage or terrorism, five of whom were also convicted of same-sex intercourse after one was tortured into confessing. Good Health and Well-being. Yemen criminalises same-sex sexual activity between men and between women.
They work to advance inclusion of marginalised people and to pressure governments to endorse protective laws. Seven of these men were ordered to be executed by stoning, while two others were sentenced to crucifixion. Image by Dewang Gupta. There have been consistent reports of discrimination and violence being committed against LGBT people in recent years, including murder, assault, harassment, and the denial of basic rights and services.
Read more from Reality Check. However, Mauritanian officials have noted that there is a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, which has not been administered since I have read, understood and confirm FairPlanet's Privacy Policy. In five countries - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates - there is no legal clarity and the death penalty could be applied.
In Mauritania, which follows a Sharia-based criminal code, sexual acts between people of the same sex are criminalised and may be punished with death. The provision has its origins in Islamic law, with Saudi Arabia operating an uncodified criminal code based upon Sharia principles. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia , but the charge calls for four witnesses to make a case.
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