The global human rights body reiterated its call on the Nigerian authorities to scrap the bill it described as harsh, adding that if passed into law would attack basic rights and criminalize relationships between people of the same gender.
Nigeria’s Senate passed the “Same-Gender Marriage” bill yesterday. It will now go before the House of Representatives for approval, after which it will be sent to the President.
By broadly defining “same-sex marriage” as including all same-sex relationships, and targeting people who “witness”, “aid” or “abet” such relationships, the bill threatens the human rights of a large number of people.
“Nigeria’s House of Representatives should show leadership and uphold the rights of all in Nigeria by rejecting this reprehensible bill,” said Erwin van der Borght, Director of the Africa Programme.
“If passed, this measure would target people on the basis of their identity, not merely their behaviour, and put a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions for exercising basic rights and opposing discrimination based purely on a person’s actual or presumed sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Under the bill passed by the Senate yesterday, an individual in a same-sex relationship could face criminal penalties of up to 14 years’ imprisonment, an increase compared to the earlier draft. The bill also seeks to impose up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a stiff fine on anyone who “witnesses”, “aids” or “abets” same-sex relationships ... for more ... http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/11/30/amnesty-nigeria-urged-to-halt-bill-banning-same-sex-relationships/
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