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- Iraq criminalizes same-sex relationships in new law
Iraq criminalizes same-sex relationships in new law
Members of the LGBATQ+ community can now face up to 15 years in prison
Iraq's parliament on Saturday passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence, in a move it said aimed to uphold religious values but was condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in the country.
Under the new law, transgender people could also be sent to prison for between one and three years. Furthermore, those who promote homosexuality or prostitution, doctors who perform gender reassignment surgery, men who "intentionally" act like women and those who engage in "wife swapping" will also face prison terms under the new legislation.
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LGBTQ+ people have long been targeted by the Iraqi authorities. Human rights organisations have also detailed cases of abduction, torture, rape and murder.
Rasha Younes, Interim Co-Deputy Director at Human Rights Watch, said the new law highlighted Iraq's "appalling record of rights violations against LGBT people, adding insult to injury for Iraqi LGBT people already facing cyclical violence and threats to their lives by armed groups."
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Supporters of the reform say the legislation helps to uphold religious values in the country. MP Amir al-Maamouri on Saturday told Shafaq News that the new law was "a significant step in combating sexual deviancy given the infiltration of unique cases contradicting Islamic and societal values."
Passing the bill was openly until after Iraq's Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani's visit to the United States earlier this month, according to lawmaker Raed al-Maliki, who advanced the amendments.
"We didn't want to impact the visit," al-Maliki told the AFP, adding that it was "an internal matter and we do not accept any interference in Iraqi affairs."
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department called the passing of the law reforms a threat to human rights and freedoms.
"The legislation also weakens Iraq's ability to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment. International business coalitions have already indicated that such discrimination in Iraq will harm business and economic growth in the country."
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UK Secretary of State David Cameron described the amendments as "dangerous and worrying." In his post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: "No one should be targeted for who they are. We encourage the Government of Iraq to uphold human rights and freedoms of all people without distinction."