- Written by Kathryn Armstrong
- BBC News
Iraq's parliament has passed a bill that criminalizes same-sex relationships, punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison.
Under the new law, transgender people could also be sent to prison for one to three years.
Supporters of the change argue it will help preserve religious values in the country.
Human rights groups say this is a further stain on Iraq's record of human rights abuses against LGBT people.
People who promote homosexuality and prostitution, doctors who perform sex reassignment surgeries, men who “deliberately” act like women and people who engage in “wife swapping” will also face prison terms under the new law. Become.
An earlier draft of the bill, an amendment to anti-prostitution laws passed in the late 1980s, proposed the death penalty for same-sex relationships.
However, this was amended following opposition from the United States and other Western countries.
Parliamentarian Amir al-Mahmouri told Shafaq News on Saturday that the new law is “an important step in the fight against sexual deviance, given that it infiltrates special cases that violate Islamic and social values.” ”
Passage of the bill had been delayed until after Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani visited the United States earlier this month, said Raed al-Maliki, a lawmaker who pushed for the amendment.
“I did not want to affect the visit,” al-Maliki told AFP news agency, adding: “It is a domestic matter and we do not accept any interference in Iraq's affairs.”
LGBT people have long been a target of Iraqi authorities, and other morality laws have been used to punish them in the past.
Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations have also detailed several incidents of abduction, torture, rape, and murder.
Iraq's main political parties have stepped up their criticism of LGBT rights in recent years, including burning rainbow flags at protests.
The US State Department said in a statement that the passage of the proposed law is a threat to human rights and freedoms.
“The bill also weakens Iraq's ability to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment,” it added.
“The International Economic Union has already indicated that such discrimination in Iraq will have a negative impact on business and economic growth in the country.”
Meanwhile, British Secretary of State Sir David Cameron said the amendments were “dangerous and worrying”.
“No one should be targeted for who they are,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“We encourage the Iraqi government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all people without distinction.”