Discriminatory Laws Stoking Hate Against LGBTIQ+ Community

A new briefing by Amnesty International shows how the legal systems in 12 African countries were increasingly weaponized in 2023 to systematically target and discriminate against LGBTIQ+ people. 

"Arbitrary arrests and detentions have become all too common, treating the mere act of being oneself as a criminal offense. In some places, the death penalty looms as a terrifying spectre, a brutally unjust punishment for simply being who they are. We face what can only be described as a deepening crisis of homophobic lawfare", said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

The briefing comes as Ugandan activists, religious leaders, academics and lawyers are challenging the Anti-Homosexuality Act before the Constitutional Court.

In December, some African activists praised Pope Francis' decision to let Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, with hopes that the pope's gesture could ease anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiment and oppression on the continent.