'Botswana has said no to intolerance and hate and yes to hope and equality'
Gaborone - Botswana's High Court ruled Tuesday in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, handing down a landmark verdict greeted with joy by gay rights campaigners.
Jubilation erupted in the courtroom as the decision was announced, and campaigners waved the rainbow flag of gay rights."This is a historic ruling for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Botswana," Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS' executive director, said in a statement. “For far too long, people entering same-sex relationships in Botswana were discriminated against by the very same laws that are supposed to protect them. This court decision marks an exciting new era of acceptance, which should inspire other African countries to follow suit.”
"Sexual orientation is human, it's not a question of fashion," he said. "The question of private morality should not be the concerns of the law." In southern Somalia, gay men are believed to have been put to death in territory ruled by the Al Shabaab jihadist group.Rights groups say many laws punishing homosexuality in Africa date from the colonial area.
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