15 years imprisonment for same-sex relationships in Iraq, new bill | same Sex Relationship are crime in Iraq New bill Passed

Iraq criminalizes same-sex relationships A bill in this regard has been passed in Parliament. If caught, he could be jailed for up to 15 years. The bill was passed with the support of 170 out of 329 members during the discussion of the bill in Parliament on Saturday. The new bill amends the Anti-Prostitution Act of 1988 and makes transgender persons liable to three years in prison.

According to the first draft of the bill, it was decided to make same-sex relations punishable by death. Currently, homosexuals and transgenders are subjected to various forms of attacks and discrimination in the country.

Promoting same-sex relationships carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, and men who ‘willfully’ behave like women face one to three years in prison.

The amended law criminalises ‘gender reassignment based on personal desire and sexual orientation’ and punishes trans persons and doctors who perform gender reassignment surgery with up to three years in prison. Homosexuality is taboo in Iraq’s conservative society. But this is the first time that same-sex relations are criminalized and punished by law.

In the past, members of Iraq’s LGBTQI+ community have been prosecuted for homosexuality using various sections of the anti-prostitution law. Razzaw Salihi, Iraq researcher for Amnesty International, told the media that the new bill violates basic human rights and puts Iraqis, who are being hunted on a daily basis, in greater danger.

Apart from this, the new amendment bans organizations that promote homosexuality and imposes 10 to 15 years in prison for “wife swapping”.

“The law acts as a preventive measure to protect society from such acts,” Raed al-Maliki, who introduced the bill in parliament, told the news agency. At the same time, he said, the passage of the new amendment was postponed until Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani’s visit to the US.

“The US and Europe oppose the law and we did not want to affect the visit,” said Raed al-Maliki. “This is an internal matter and we do not accept any interference in Iraq’s affairs,” Raed al-Maliki said.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said in a statement that the new law passed by Iraq threatens human rights and undermines Iraq’s efforts to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment.

A 2022 report by Human Rights Watch and the NGO Iraqweer confirms that many LGBTQI+ individuals in Iraq are subject to attacks, abductions, rape, torture, and murder, but those responsible go unpunished.

Sarah Sanber, Iraq researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the new law change was an attack on human rights. She said Iraq’s decision was to codify discrimination against LGBTQI+ people instead of focusing on implementing laws that would benefit Iraqis, such as the draft domestic violence law or the draft child protection law.