Sudan Strikes Death Penalty, Flogging for Same-Sex Intimacy
Sudan is set to abolish its death penalty and flogging punishments for same-sex intimacy, reports Reuters.
The change comes in the wake of the the Northeast African nation's overthrow of Omar al-Bashir, whom Reuters described as an "autocrat." The country has been under "Islamist rule" for almost 40 years, the news article noted.
The change to the penal system was announced by Sudan's interim government. Equality activists were cheered by the impending update of the law. Equality advocacy group ILGA issued a release that hailed the change as "a milestone."
But advocates were also quick to point out that more needs to be done - especially since the revision in the penal code does not decriminalize same-sex intimacy. Sex between men could result in prison time, with sentences ranging from five years to life, Reuters reported.
ILGA's statement said that groups seeking LGBTQ equality are "encouraged by the legal reforms and continue... to strive for decriminalization" of non-heterosexual people.
The response in the United States was a similar mix of jubilation and caution, with the president of the Human Rights Campaign, Alphonso David, saying in a release that, "This change sends a clear message of hope to LGBTQ people living in some of the most hostile places around the world.
"But, to be clear, the fight is far from over," David continued. "Same-sex relationships are still criminalized in Sudan, as they are in 69 countries around the world. And at least nine other countries still allow the death penalty as a punishment for same-sex relationships."