The homosexual cause is gaining ground in Africa. In Gabon, deputies voted Tuesday 23 June for the decriminalization of homosexual relations, canceling an amendment to the penal code voted a year earlier which condemned homosexuality as an "attack on morals".

Unlike many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which prohibit or punish homosexual intercourse, no law in Gabon explicitly mentioned homosexuality before an amendment to the penal code was voted by the Senate in July 2019, prohibiting "relations same-sex relationships. "

>> Read: Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality and "can inspire all of Africa"

Tuesday evening, the National Assembly adopted a modification of the penal law which deletes this paragraph, reported on Wednesday Gabonese press titles. The information was confirmed to AFP by a source close to the National Assembly. Some "48 deputies voted for decriminalization, 24 against, and 25 abstained," said the source.

Six months in prison and a fine of 7,600 euros

This bill was brought by the Gabonese Prime Minister, Julien Nkoghe Bekale, present during the debates. Since July 2019, same-sex relationships were punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of 5 million CFA francs (7,600 euros).

If the criminalization of homosexual relationships had been voted by the Senate in the middle of summer, during a suspension of the activity of the National Assembly, and had gone relatively unnoticed in the national media, the decriminalization voted on Tuesday made a lot of noise in the press online and on social media Wednesday morning.

In sub-Saharan Africa, homosexuality is widely criminalized, more than half of its countries prohibit or punish homosexual relations, sometimes the death penalty.

With AFP

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