State Department blasts new Iraq anti-homosexuality law as human rights threat
The State Department said that a law passed by Iraq’s parliament on Saturday criminalizing same-sex relationships was a threat to human rights and freedoms.
The State Department said that a law passed by Iraq’s parliament on Saturday criminalizing same-sex relationships was a threat to human rights and freedoms and would weaken Iraq’s ability to diversify its economy and attract 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 released Saturday said.
Iraq’s parliament passed a law criminalizing same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence on Saturday, in a move it said aimed to uphold religious values. But it was condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the LGBTQ community in Iraq.
The law aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the world,” according to a copy of the law seen by Reuters.
It was backed mainly by conservative Shi’ite Muslim parties who form the largest coalition in mainly Muslim Iraq’s parliament.
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