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Euro MPs' gay leader blasts Burundi gay-sex ban

by Rex Wockner

The president of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights, Michael Cashman, on Nov. 26 condemned new legislation in the Central African nation of Burundi that specifically criminalizes gay sex.
Cashman discussed the matter with European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michael and called on the European Commission to raise the issue with Burundi's government.
"The commissioner expressed that he was shocked to learn of this law," Cashman said. "He (said) he will travel to Burundi and discuss his concerns with the government."
Burundi's National Assembly passed the explicit ban Nov. 21 as part of a package of more than 600 legal changes that included abolition of the death penalty. The measure punishes consensual adult gay sex with a large fine and a jail term of between three months and two years.
According to Amnesty International, male-male sex previously was targeted via laws governing "immoral acts."
The vote on the package was 90 to 0 with 10 abstentions. The legislation now advances to the Senate, then goes to President Pierre Nkurunziza. Neither is expected to oppose it.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and the local Association pour le Respect des Droits des Homosexuels have written to each senator and to Nkurunziza in an attempt to stop the sex ban from becoming law.
"These laws are meant to silence and terrorize our community," said IGLHRC Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick.
A spokesman for ARDHO said, "The government has moved this bill quickly and unjustly through the legislative process … over the course of a weekend, with no input from civil society or general discussion about the issue of homosexuality and freedom of expression within Burundi."
The small, landlocked nation has a population of 8.7 million, a life expectancy of less than 52 years, and a per capita gross domestic product at purchasing-power parity of $300. The comparable figure for the U.S. is $45,800. Norway's is $53,300, Mexico's is $12,400 and Vietnam's is $2,600.
About two-thirds of African nations ban consensual sex between adults of the same sex.

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Topics: News
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