ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia —
Lawmakers
in Ethiopia are expected
to
pass into law a bill that would
make
same-sex acts a non-
pardonable
offense
Ethiopia’s
Council of Ministers last
week
endorsed the measure that
would
amend the country’s Pardon
and
Amnesty Law that lists
homosexuality
along other offenses
as a
non-pardonable.
According
to local sources, a vote
will
be called upon bill in parliament
as
early as next week, and normally
bills
endorsed by the Council are
passed.
The
bill aims to curb the president’s
power
to pardon prisoners who
committed
certain “crimes,”
including
those imprisoned for
homosexuality
acts. Other offenses
included
in the list are corruption,
human-trafficking,
smuggling, rape
and
terrorism.
Ethiopia’s
Minister of State Getachew
Bedane
urged a quick vote.
“The
decision to include
homosexuality
in this bill is simply
pure
ignorance on the part of the
government,”
said one Ethiopian gay
rights
activist and blogger. “The rest
of the
world is decriminalizing
homosexuality
… because it is now
being
realized that sexual orientation
is a
basic human right too. It’s deeply
troubling
to see Ethiopia opting out
of
this global consciousness.”
In
Ethiopia, same-sex acts are illegal
and
punishable by up to 15 years in
prison.
Under
its anti-advocacy law,
charities
and nongovernmental
organizations
that receive more than
10
percent of their funding from
abroad
are prohibited from
participating
in activities that
advance
human rights and the
promotion
of equality.
Collectively,
the laws create a
dangerous
environment for LGBT
Ethiopians
to be open about their
sexual
orientation or gender identity.
“Ethiopia
has already very harsh
anti-LGBT
laws, including a 25 year
imprisonment
for anyone infecting
another
person with HIV during
same-sex
acts,” said a
spokesperson
for the advocacy group
Rainbow
Ethiopia, who could not be
identified
for fear of his family’s
safety.
“The
situation, however, is getting
worse
as it seems the government is
trying
to its emulate Nigeria’s and
Uganda’s
anti-gay laws,” he said.
Source:
lgbtqnation.com
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