Home Human Rights Namibian Court Rules Against Laws Criminalising Same-sex Relationships
Human RightsNews

Namibian Court Rules Against Laws Criminalising Same-sex Relationships

301
Namibian Court LGBTQ

A top Namibian court on Friday ruled against the country’s colonial-era laws that criminalised same-sex relationships, marking a win for the LGBTQ community.

The high court in Windhoek deemed the crimes of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” unconstitutional and invalid, a decision celebrated by LGBTQ rights groups.

We are not persuaded that in a democratic society such as ours… it is reasonably justifiable to make an activity criminal just because a segment, maybe a majority, of the citizenry consider it to be unacceptable,” the judges wrote.

The ruling overturned rarely enforced laws from 1927, which Namibia kept after gaining independence from South Africa in 1990.

Because of this decision, I no longer feel like a criminal on the run in my own country simply because of who I am, said Friedel Dausab, the activist who brought the case.

The London-based Human Dignity Trust called the ruling “historic.”

“LGBT Namibians can now look to a brighter future,” said its chief executive, Tea Braun.

The verdict came amid growing intolerance towards LGBTQ rights in southern Africa.

While a few African countries have legalised same-sex relationships, South Africa remains the only African nation that allows gay marriage, which was legalised in 2006.

The United Nations AIDS programmes, UNAIDS, said the ruling was a “significant victory for equality and human rights.”

“This decision… is a powerful step towards a more inclusive Namibia,” said Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS regional director for East and Southern Africa.

 

Source: AFP

Read more: Super Eagles Slip To 38th On FIFA Rankings After Two Disappointing Matches

About The Author

Related Articles

Nigeria’s inflation rebasing
FinanceNews

Nigeria’s Inflation Drops to 24.48% After CPI Rebasing, Hardship Persists 

Nigeria’s inflation rate fell to 24.48 per cent in January 2025 from...

Nigerian subscribers have expressed outrage following Airtel Nigeria’s decision to increase its data and call tariffs, raising the cost of various data bundles and increasing call tariffs from 18 kobo per second to 25 kobo per second.
News

Subscribers Lament as Airtel Increases Data and Call Price by 50 per cent

Subscribers have expressed outrage following Airtel Nigeria’s decision to increase its data...

Manufacturers
BusinessNews

Manufacturers Association Says “Sector Is on Its Last Breath,” Tells FG to Stop Interest Rate Hikes

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has raised alarm over the deteriorating...

BusinessNews

Commuters Say Niger Republic Has Begun Restricting Travellers with Only ECOWAS Passport

Niger Republic has started imposing restrictions on Nigerians using the ECOWAS passport,...