Dozens of gay men are reported to have been arrested across northern Nigeria as police begin to enforce punitive new laws that criminalize same-sex marriages and membership of gay rights organizations.
Dorothy Aken'Ova, executive director of the country's International Centre for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights, said that the legislation, hailed the "Jail the Gays" law, had led to mass arrests. Police in Bauchi state, she claimed, had a list of 168 purportedly gay men, of whom 38 had been arrested.
The laws, she cautioned, will endanger medical programmes combating HIV-Aids in the gay community. Nigeria has the second-largest HIV epidemic globally with an estimated 3.4 million people living with HIV.
Responding to the spread of anti-gay legislation,Kerry said: "The United States is deeply concerned by Nigeria's enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. Beyond even prohibiting same-sex marriage, this law dangerously restricts freedom of assembly, association and expression for all Nigerians.
"[The law] is inconsistent with Nigeria's international legal obligations and undermines the democratic reforms and human rights protections enshrined in its 1999 constitution," he added.
"People everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality. No one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love."
The London-based Human Dignity Trust, which supports legal actions around the world aimed at overturning anti-gay legislation, criticised both the Nigerian and Ugandan acts.
Jonathan Cooper, the trust's chief executive, has described the Ugandan legislation as "a bleak day for human rights. The bill undermines Uganda's human rights protection, breaches its international treaty obligations and violates Uganda's own constitution".
One of the men whose legal challenges the trust supported, Roger Jean-Claude Mbede, 34, died this week after being removed from hospital by his family. He had been jailed in Cameroon for sending a text message to another man saying: "I'm very much in love with you".
Mbede, whose case was highlighted by the Guardian in 2012, was subsequently declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
His lawyer, Alice Nkom, said: "[Mbede's] family said he was a curse for them and that we should let him die."
224 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 224 of 224The British colonised us dear... smh at the calibre of people making these comments... this one doesnt even knw who colonised us and hes commenting on the law and human rights... sigh
Forgot to add, that dis gay we are shouting about, really of what good is it to the society?? It is wrong in every way, that's the quickest and easiest way HIV is contracted , thru anal sex, and the same cursed guys wld go and have sex with girls and infect them, Kai May God forgive us all and have mercy, it's pathetic honestly, all of you that think it's ok to be gay, may you children or brothers or sisters not be gay, so u wldnt ve to prepare for two men or two gals getting married and pictures be posted on lindaikeji and Bella naija Amen
Forgot to add, that dis gay we are shouting about, really of what good is it to the society?? It is wrong in every way, that's the quickest and easiest way HIV is contracted , thru anal sex, and the same cursed guys wld go and have sex with girls and infect them, Kai May God forgive us all and have mercy, it's pathetic honestly, all of you that think it's ok to be gay, may you children or brothers or sisters not be gay, so u wldnt ve to prepare for two men or two gals getting married and pictures be posted on lindaikeji and Bella naija Amen
Forgot to add, that dis gay we are shouting about, really of what good is it to the society?? It is wrong in every way, that's the quickest and easiest way HIV is contracted , thru anal sex, and the same cursed guys wld go and have sex with girls and infect them, Kai May God forgive us all and have mercy, it's pathetic honestly, all of you that think it's ok to be gay, may you children or brothers or sisters not be gay, so u wldnt ve to prepare for two men or two gals getting married and pictures be posted on lindaikeji and Bella naija Amen
Im not straight...I didnt choose to be attracted to d same sex..but I am...does that make me a criminal...who did I kill?...so sad...so if an expatriate working in Nigeria is gay what happens? Does he get thrown into jail aswell...Our president is a joke...we nigerians r an even larger joke...the way d foolish ones mix law wit religion is mindbuggling...not every one is a christain...nigeria has a constitution not a bible...bloody fools...thanks for making life alittle harder for me and everyoda bi gay or lesbian nigerian out der...
All those gay commenting here, pretending not to b gay shld just shut up! Shameless people!
I with Jonathan....why a man fcking a man...just gross n acceptable, in fact they should not be jailed for 14yrs, they should be killed and disappear from earth surface
It will do you people like "feeeeem". See this one nw. What stops him from reporting that his gf is a lesbian.
You all will get innocent people killed.
Linda, Is this surprising? Shame on our leaders. Provide the people with the basics of life. Let us have water and light and roads and education. Fight corruption, theft of public funds however disguised. Above all, if we are advocating sexual morality, then punish all fornication. This law says in effect that a man who has caused hundred abortions and ruined the girls' chances of motherhood or in some cases caused the girls' deaths is irreproachable, but two men loving and being intimate with each other should be jailed. Let me ask, if you put sexually active gay men in prisons which are same-sex establishments for 14 years, are you not nurturing homosexuality? Are our leaders daft? Do they excel only in illegally enriching themselves? A straight fornicator is not morally superior to a gay fornicator. If the idea is procreation, let's remember that many straight sexual acts are based on contraception and abortion. They are aimed at pleasure, not procreation. So why this ignorance, this wilful illiteracy in our leaders? Professor Soyinka has given a very enlightening lecture about the correct attitude to gays and our leaders won't have the humility and wisdom to listen to him.
I'm not gay but I feel this is a dent on human right, please there should be a law prohibiting prostitution too, all those old politicians leaving their wives at home to pay for sex should be jailed too, cos doing that sents people to hell just like being gay... That I'll puke seeing a man kiss a man, doesn't mean I have the right to judge them, its their business as long as I did not catch them doing it in my apartment or on my bed, my point is, it is not the govts duty to show ppl how to make heaven, there are more pressing issues.
And talking of the bible, biblically you don't bring people to christ by jailing them.
I'm not gay but I feel this is a dent on human right, please there should be a law prohibiting prostitution too, all those old politicians leaving their wives at home to pay for sex should be jailed too, cos doing that sents people to hell just like being gay... That I'll puke seeing a man kiss a man, doesn't mean I have the right to judge them, its their business as long as I did not catch them doing it in my apartment or on my bed, my point is, it is not the govts duty to show ppl how to make heaven, there are more pressing issues.
Lwkmd
Lmao
Oh I have met various people in my life, and guess what... The nice and kind hearted ones are usualy the ones covered in tatoos and with weird sexual orientation and preferences, but the wicked and terrible ones are the hypocrists and judgemental ones just like the fools commenting trash bout something they do not understand.
You have no right to judge your fellow man. Whoever told you that you are better?
You lie, cheat, fornicate. Some of you even sleep with animals in order to satisfy your perverted sexual urges. You pay ladies to watch them do same, you rape old women, young girls and kids alike and sometimes kill them in the process.
You masturbate with your hands, touching your perverted d#cks and p#sies and deriving sexual pleasure. So tell me, are you different from those you condemn? Foolish hating hypocritic Nigerian.
#Tears bra
This is Mimi, and i speak for the opressed!
Shut the f#ck up! You have no right to condemn your fellow man
Nigeria!
Anything that with disadvantage must must have advantage. Nigeria is a country were all forms of unimaginable evil takes place.
What will you say of a situation were a man seeks for a fellow man to sleep with, because his spiritual leader, baba lawo or occultic group told him to do so, so that he will gain wealth or become successful?.
most people who claim to be gay in Nigeria, do so because they are been told to continue in the act so as to avert the risk of loosing their wealth. This is mostly done in secret and only when things get ugly do we know of it.
Now, should gays be given rights to associate and even marry, this evil will take another dimension. Some of this evil men who sleep with their fellow for spiritual reasons, will ask for divorce after fulfilling their mission, and in most cases the victim is been killed.
In a country were a 13yrs old girl is considered matured for marriage, won't a boy of 10yrs be matured for marriage, if he is gay?
Won't people who sacrifice male folks, after having canal knowledge of them have their day, should gay marriage or relationship be legalized?
Who has been able to explain the dead bodies of many Nigerians (males) found in bushes and in some cases rivers naked?
In a country were mad women can be raped and put in the family way, can you tel me that the above is impossible?.....
That said, I still think that the punishment for this crime can only be justified if people who steal billions of dollars from our account will face a life time imprisonment.
No one should bring religion into this matter, it has nothing to do with religion. We must start resisting the idea that everything western is good. The value of Africa is depreciating every second in all spheres of life. We should learn to preserve the good things we have, while we throw the bad ones away.
As of the case of some arrest been made in the north, it is not a surprise, because such was expected from a region that destroyed bottles of beer in thousands. The worst thing to have happened to the beautiful but now bloody northern part of Nigeria is the implementation of sharia law.
Nigeria is not a country for christians only, neither is it an Islamic country. It is a country for Nigerians and the only law we should have, should be nothing but the Nigeria constitution.
As for the police, before they make any arrest, I will advise them to make sure they have more than enough evidence to back their claims.
I stii wud find dis bill as one stupid and absurd kinda bill, nt until GEJ's biin abu to do same 2 curb oda crimes biin perpetrated in dis nation. *won fi ete sile won n pa lapalapa* Yoruba ppu wii say.
Any gay man caught should be jailed in women's kirikiri. lesbians to male kirikiri..
Hmmm..if your parents were one none of u would be here readiing this.. we have enactment against bestialilty.. protecting aniimals but we cnt protect humanity! Whether they remain in their closet.. get married..make babies its all for d good of humanity.. protect humanity from going into extinction.what makes us feel we can milk lifedry for d sake of oir selfish desires.
Life doesntowe us anything but we owe it alot. Whats homosexuality to life? Itsnt givong life but dryiing it.
We can say becos we r all too informed we do watever we please. Soon we would be ok with peadophilia..masochism..rape bestiality. Are they not selfish unnatural sexual orientation? If i choose to tie u..axe u to blled before i can be happy and get sexual gratification. Would ujudge me?
So they can easily identify gays and can't identify a single boko haram member..
On a serious note are people thinkn right at all!!!!! Y wuld a right thinkn man want to have sexuak relationship with anoda man....i strongly support the signed bill and anybody dat is against it is allowing the devil to speak through him or her....this are signs of the end times...since man refused to honor God,He sed He will give dem up to reprobate minds that dey will do things dat re nt convenient"...woman is made for man,dat's the way God planned it...it was Adam and Eve NOT Adam and Adam....pls be wise and honor God,He loves us,repent before it's too late,He wants a relationship with you and I dat's y we were created,to fellowship with Him. It is of the devil to be Gay...woman was made for man and man was made for God...God bless you!
Nigeria can only be beta wen we return to God. We are not lyk oda countries dat have ignored God, He is still interested in us and so we cannot say we should separate politics from religion. Neither of the two recognized religions in Nigeria support it,so why shld homosexuality be allowed?...it is an abominable practice and we dont care if the U.s withdraw any support!.... GOD IS ABLE TO FIGHT FOR US!....WE WLL NOT SOIL OUR HANDS BCOS OBAMA SAYS WE SHOULD!...THIS IS NOT HIS COUNTRY!...HE SHOULD LEAVE US ALONE!....
Jst watch! In places whre homosexuality is supported,paedophilia would soon be supported too....its not a curse,but mark my words!...since "every1 can luv hueva dey want to luv"....wat an ABOMINATION!
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