SUDAN REPEALS DEATH PENALTY FOR HOMOSEXUALITY – PAN AFRICA ILGA PRESS RELEASE
Pan Africa ILGA welcomes the decision by the government of Sudan to remove the death penalty as a punitive measure for homosexuality.
(this is a statement issued by Pan Africa ILGA, regarding Sudan removing death penalty and flogging for consensual same-sex relations.)
Sudan’s Sovereign Council approved new laws as well as passed amendments to existing laws. Legal reforms included the removal of the death penalty and the administration of 100 lashes as punishment for same-sex intimacy.
Although Article 148 of the Penal Code of 1991, known as the Sodomy Law remains with an imprisonment not exceeding 7 years for persons found guilty, advocacy for decriminalisation continues. As per the Sudanese LGBTIQ+ Advocacy Organization, Bedayaa, the LGBT movement in Sudan is encouraged by the legal reforms and continues to strive for decriminalisation. As it stands, Nigeria, Mauritania and Somalia have capital punishment for the offence of homosexuality: Pan Africa ILGA continues to support the advocacy for the protection and recognition of LGBTIQ+ persons on the continent.
Today marks another milestone. We encourage governments on the continent to take such measures to ensure safety and protection of their LGBTIQ+ citizens.