New York/Libreville, July 3, 2020
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) congratulates the Parliament of Gabon for repealing paragraph 5 of Article 402 of its Criminal Code, which criminalized same-sex sexual relations.
On June 24, the National Assembly approved a bill – introduced by Prime Minister Julien Nkoghe Bekale - to amend the law criminalizing homosexuality. Forty-eight members of Parliament (MPs) voted in favor, 24 against and 25 abstained. The Senate reaffirmed the amendment to the Criminal Code on June 29 with 59 senators voting in favor of the bill, 17 against.
Paragraph 5 of Article 402 of the Criminal Code defined same-sex relations as an ‘offence against morality’, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of five million CFA francs ($8,600, €7,600). It was introduced into Gabonese law with the new Criminal Code, adopted in July 2019, by way of an amendment by the Senate. Homosexuality had not been criminalized in the country previously.
I congratulate Gabonese parliamentarians for their courage to repeal the law criminalizing homosexuality in their Criminal Code and standing for equality and human rights of all individuals. I understand the challenges they have had to face as I took part in a similar effort to modernize our Criminal Code in 2015 and remove this statute from our books.
Criminalization of consensual same-sex conduct violates the rights of privacy and freedom from discrimination and runs against regional and international human rights commitments. I am delighted Gabon has joined the list of countries which have decriminalized love and, as a PGA Board member, I look forward to working with my Gabonese peers to raise awareness about equality and inclusion of LGBTI+ people in our countries. Hon. Antonio Niquice, MP Mozambique and PGA Board member
With this important legislative breakthrough, Gabon joins Seychelles, Mozambique, Angola and Botswana in decriminalizing homosexuality.
Contact:
Mónica Adame
Director, Gender, Equality and Inclusion Program
