Iraq’s parliament on Saturday April 27 passed a bill criminalizing same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence.
Advocates of the bill assert that the decision intends to uphold the country’s religious values.
According to Iraq law makers, the move also aims to protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the world.
Under the new law, transgender people could also be sent to prison for between one and three years.
Additionally, those who promote homosexuality or prostitution, doctors conducting gender reassignment surgery, men who “intentionally” act like women, and participants in “wife swapping” will also face prison terms under the new legislation.
Iraq Passes New Law to Criminalize Homosexuality
Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, the acting parliamentary speaker, said the new legislation was aimed at “protecting the moral fabric” of society.
“There is no place for homosexuality in Iraq, the land of prophets, pure imams, and righteous saints,” Al-Mandalawi said in a statement on Saturday.
Nonetheless, the punishments set are less severe than those originally sought by Raad al-Maliki, an independent Iraqi lawmaker who introduced the bill in August 2023.
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He had sought to impose penalties of life imprisonment and death for same-sex relations.
However, the new law has faced criticism from activists who see the amendments as a violation of fundamental human rights that put at risk Iraqis whose lives are already hounded daily.
“The Iraqi parliament’s passage of the anti-LGBT law rubber-stamps Iraq’s appalling record of rights violations against LGBTQ people and is a serious blow to fundamental human rights,” Rasha Younes, deputy director of the LGBTQ rights Programme at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters.
US State Dept Condemns New Iraq Same-Sex Law
Similarly, the US State Department condemned the law, stating that it poses a threat to human rights and freedoms, potentially hindering free speech, and expression.
Furthermore, the State Department expressed concern that such discriminatory legislation could impede Iraq’s economic diversification efforts and deter foreign investment.
“This amendment threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society. It can be used to hamper free-speech and expression and inhibit the operations of NGOs across Iraq,” a State Department statement said.
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“International business coalitions have already indicated that such discrimination in Iraq will harm business and economic growth in the country.”
UK Secretary of State Lord David Cameron also labeled the amendments as “dangerous and worrying,” emphasizing the importance of not targeting individuals based on their identities.
He further urged the Iraqi government to uphold human rights and freedoms for all citizens without discrimination.
“No one should be targeted for who they are,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“We encourage the Government of Iraq to uphold human rights and freedoms of all people without distinction.”
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