Namibian High Court Decriminalizes Homosexuality

TIME Magazine reports:

Namibia’s High Court declared the criminalization of sexual acts between men unconstitutional, a landmark ruling that contrasts with other recent attempts in Africa to curtail LGBTQ rights.

The court’s finding stemmed from an application filed by Friedel Dausab, a gay Namibian man, who argued that the criminalization of homosexual relations and other sexual conduct that was deemed unnatural infringed on citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms, and constituted unfair discrimination.

Judges invalidated sections of the Immigration Control Act and the Defence Act that criminalized homosexuality and condemned views that label the practice as an “abominable vice,” saying they were based on prejudice and unfounded societal biases.

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Namibia, population 3.1 million, gained independence from South Africa in 1990 and is around 90% Christian.