Iraqi parliament punishes homosexual relationships with prison sentences of up to 15 years

Iraq’s parliament passed a law on Saturday that criminalizes homosexual relationships and transgender people with penalties of up to 15 years in prison. A first bill even provided for the death penalty.

Amnesty International responded in response to a “violation of fundamental human rights”. The NGO says the amendments adopted on Saturday “endanger Iraqis who are already harassed on a daily basis” in a conservative country where sexual minorities live clandestinely.

The amendments, which amend a 1988 anti-prostitution law, were passed at a meeting attended by 170 of 329 MPs. The new provisions provide for prison sentences of ten to fifteen years for homosexual relationships.

Do not promote

The law also bans “any organization that promotes homosexuality in Iraq.” “Promoting” homosexual relationships carries a prison sentence of seven years. “The change of biological sex on the basis of individual desires or inclinations” is also prohibited. The law provides for a prison sentence of one to three years for any person or doctor involved in a transition. A similar punishment applies to any man whose behavior is deemed “effeminate.”

Iraqi society rejects homosexuality. The small LGBT+ community is often targeted for “kidnapping, rape, torture and murder” by armed groups with “impunity,” according to a 2022 Human Rights Watch report.

“We know that Iraqi society today rejects homosexuality, but there is a deliberate promotion of cultures that we do not recognize,” said MP Raëd al-Maliki, who tabled the amendments. “It is the future that worries us and the law is a kind of prevention to protect society.”