Nigeria
No country for gay men
Jan 14th 2014, 16:13 by G.P. | ABUJA
GOODLUCK JONATHAN, Nigeria's president (pictured above), signed a bill on Janurary 13th that criminalises same-sex relationships, arguing that the law is in line with the country’s religious and cultural beliefs. Stirring up homophobia also provides a useful distraction for Mr Jonathan, who is expected to run for re-election next year but is facing political trouble after a number of lawmakers and state governors defected to the opposition.
The new law will resonate with the majority of people in Nigeria, where anti-gay sentiments are rife. Under current laws, sodomy is already an offence that could land one in jail, but the new law allows for a wider crackdown on same-sex relationships. The National Assembly approved it last May. Now signed into law, it contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans same-sex marriage, engaging in an intimate relationship with a member of the same sex and patronising gay organisations. Arguably the most prohibitive aspect of the law bans all gatherings of homosexuals.
“A person or group of persons who…supports the registration, operation and sustenance of gay clubs, societies, organizations, processions or meetings in Nigeria commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of ten years' imprisonment,” according to the law.
The law threatens to undermine efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS. “Gay people are going underground and, because of this, some of us who work in the field of sex and health education will not be able to reach out to them. They might think we are spies sent by the government to arrest and jail them,” wrote Stephen Chukwumah, executive director of the Improved Youth Health Initiative, which combats AIDS in Nigeria, in an open letter to the government.
Many African countries are strengthening their democratic processes and follow increasingly progressive economic policies. However, their minority-rights records are worsening in some cases. Homosexuality is an especially charged topic in Africa. It is illegal in 37 countries. Uganda has been in the spotlight since a law was proposed in 2009 that recommends the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. In December the Ugandan parliament passed a bill outlawing homosexuality after removing the clause that imposed the death penalty. The only hope for gays in Uganda is that President Yoweri Museveni fears the withdrawal of aid enough to try to tone down some of the harsher sentences in the bill, if not stall signing the bill into law.
The threat from Western countries to withdraw aid has slowed the progress of anti-gay bills in parts of Africa such as aid-dependent Malawi, but the prohibition of budget support means little to Nigeria, a country which exports around $200m-worth of oil every day.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/01/nigeria?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/countryforgaymen
No country for gay men
Jan 14th 2014, 16:13 by G.P. | ABUJA
GOODLUCK JONATHAN, Nigeria's president (pictured above), signed a bill on Janurary 13th that criminalises same-sex relationships, arguing that the law is in line with the country’s religious and cultural beliefs. Stirring up homophobia also provides a useful distraction for Mr Jonathan, who is expected to run for re-election next year but is facing political trouble after a number of lawmakers and state governors defected to the opposition.
The new law will resonate with the majority of people in Nigeria, where anti-gay sentiments are rife. Under current laws, sodomy is already an offence that could land one in jail, but the new law allows for a wider crackdown on same-sex relationships. The National Assembly approved it last May. Now signed into law, it contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans same-sex marriage, engaging in an intimate relationship with a member of the same sex and patronising gay organisations. Arguably the most prohibitive aspect of the law bans all gatherings of homosexuals.
“A person or group of persons who…supports the registration, operation and sustenance of gay clubs, societies, organizations, processions or meetings in Nigeria commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of ten years' imprisonment,” according to the law.
The law threatens to undermine efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS. “Gay people are going underground and, because of this, some of us who work in the field of sex and health education will not be able to reach out to them. They might think we are spies sent by the government to arrest and jail them,” wrote Stephen Chukwumah, executive director of the Improved Youth Health Initiative, which combats AIDS in Nigeria, in an open letter to the government.
Many African countries are strengthening their democratic processes and follow increasingly progressive economic policies. However, their minority-rights records are worsening in some cases. Homosexuality is an especially charged topic in Africa. It is illegal in 37 countries. Uganda has been in the spotlight since a law was proposed in 2009 that recommends the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. In December the Ugandan parliament passed a bill outlawing homosexuality after removing the clause that imposed the death penalty. The only hope for gays in Uganda is that President Yoweri Museveni fears the withdrawal of aid enough to try to tone down some of the harsher sentences in the bill, if not stall signing the bill into law.
The threat from Western countries to withdraw aid has slowed the progress of anti-gay bills in parts of Africa such as aid-dependent Malawi, but the prohibition of budget support means little to Nigeria, a country which exports around $200m-worth of oil every day.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2014/01/nigeria?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/countryforgaymen
