Iraq’s criminalisation of same-sex relationships and LGBTQ+ people an ‘attack on human rights’.
Iraq’s parliament has passed a law criminalising same-sex relationships and trans people, with human rights advocates calling the decision an “attack on human rights”.
LGBTQ+ people in the country are already often subjected to attacks and discrimination, and could now be imprisoned for a maximum of 15 years following the decision on 27 April. The parliament said the move was to uphold religious values.
Amendments were made to a 1988 anti-prostitution law in a session attended by 170 out of 329 lawmakers. The Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality bans same-sex relations with at least 10 years in prison. It mandates at least seven years in prison for anybody who promotes homosexuality or prostitution.
It even imposes imprisonment of between one and three years for trans people who undergo gender-affirming treatment “based on personal desire and inclination”, or for medical care teams who perform gender-affirming treatment, and non-binary and gender-fluid people who dress or act outside of heteronormative norms.
Human Rights Watch’s Iraq researcher Sarah Sanbar called the new law “a horrific development and an attack on human rights”.
