Iraq Criminalises Same-Sex Relationships
Proponents of human rights have branded the decision to criminalise same-sex partnerships and transgender persons as an "attack on human rights" by Iraq's parliamentary.
The ruling on April 27th effectively increases the maximum sentence for LGBTQ+ persons in the nation to 15 years in prison. The reasoning given by the parliament was a desire to protect religious principles.
Out of 329 parliamentarians, 170 were present during a session that amended a 1988 anti-prostitution statute. A minimum of ten years in jail is required for same-sex relationships under the Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality. Those who advocate for homosexuality or prostitution are sentenced to a minimum of seven years in jail.
the law imposes imprisonment for one to three years on individuals who undergo gender-affirming treatment based on personal desire or inclination, on medical care teams who provide such treatment, and on non-binary or gender-fluid individuals
Human Rights Watch’s Iraq researcher Sarah Sanbar called the new law “a horrific development and an attack on human rights”.
Campaigners criticised the bill's first inclusion of the death penalty for same-sex conduct as a "dangerous" escalation. The United States and European nations strongly opposed this, thus it was changed before being passed.
The document says the law aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the world”.
The US State Department said the law was a threat to human rights and freedom, and would decrease the country’s ability to “diversify its economy and attract foreign investment”.
It continued: “It can be used to hamper free speech and expression and inhibit the operations of NGOs across Iraq.”
Although Iraqi law did not go so far as to criminalise LGBTQ+ relationships until recently, the country's morality clauses were utilised to persecute the LGBTQ+ population.
"The law rubber-stamps Iraq's appalling record of rights violations against LGBT people and is a serious blow to fundamental human rights," stated Rasha Younes, deputy head of the LGBTQ+ rights programme at Human Rights Watch.