Nigeria

It is only in the northern Nigerian states where you can receive the death penalty for being gay; elsewhere, you can expect to receive up to 14 years in prison for ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’ (or attempted carnal knowledge), or gross indecency. The law is well enforced, with large groups of people often being tried together. They are often tortured until they reveal names of friends.

In May 2013, the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill was passed by the House of Representatives – also known as the anti-homosexuality Bill, since it included imprisonment of up to 10 years for anyone who ‘participates in gay clubs or organisations’ or ‘directly or indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationships’, as well as prison for anyone who fails to report LGBTI people to the authorities.

President of the Senate, David Mark, insisted that the bill is ‘irrevocable’, adding: ‘We will not compromise on this.’

Bishop Nicolas Okoh, Nigeria’s most senior Anglican cleric, is an outspoken opponent of homosexuals and homosexual rights, commenting that Nigeria is at risk of an ‘invading army of homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexual lifestyle’, and that ‘same sex marriage, paedophilia and all sexual pervasions [sic] should be roundly condemned by all who accept the authority of scripture over human life.’

Pakistan

Pakistan punishes gay people with up to 10 years in prison. According to one article, a boy was arrested after being discovered having sex with another boy in a field. The boy’s family attempted to bribe the police, but, when the police would not accept the bribe, the boy’s parents asked that, when the story was reported, their son be described as the ‘active’ sexual partner.

Zamir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, wrote to the UN Human Rights Council expressing concern over the ‘introduction’ of sexual orientation in the 2012 General Assembly Resolution, saying they are ‘disturbed at the attempt to focus on certain persons on the grounds of their abnormal sexual behaviour.’

St Lucia

The law against homosexuality is rarely enforced in St Lucia, but you could still get 10 years in prison for gross indecency or buggery. In May this year, A St Lucian gay rights organisation celebrated the firing of Professor Brendan Bain by the University of the West Indies for professional testimony he gave in a Belize court case. He had stated that men who have sex with men posed a risk to public health.

While the US Country Report on Saint Lucia says that there are few reported instances of violent abuse, discrimination is nevertheless high.

Kenita Placide of the LGBTI group United and Strong commented on the situation of the LGBTI community in Saint Lucia and suggested reasons for lack of reporting: ‘It is a dangerous thing. People’s rights are being violated on a daily basis…The fact that the law is there, there is no formal redress for homosexuals. It basically means that when you go to the police for something, it exposes you. Right now it is the police officers on their own deciding not to enforce this law.

’Homosexuals ask themselves, what if the police officers decide to book me because this law exists… Abuses have taken place. We have had deaths of gay men that are still unsolved or unresolved. We had the death of Verne Romulus, the death of Germaine Nestor, the death of Marcellus Augustin, we had the death of Ethelbert ‘Romeo’ Evelyn in Dennery. These were openly gay people and these cases were not cases where they were just killed. These killings were brutal, with multiple stab wounds and beatings. There have been gay people who have been beaten in the street. Society targets the highly effeminate guys and the butch looking women. Some have been raped. They get verbally abused on a daily basis. And what works against them is the fear of reporting these incidents. People are internalising things, instead of seeking help.’

Tanzania

Tanzania includes gross indecency and ‘unnatural offences’ in its penal code, with penalties for the latter up to life imprisonment, along with a fine. In Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous part of the country, explicitly extended the penal code to include ‘homosexuals’ in 2004.

In Nov 2011, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, when pressed on the issue of gay rights, said: ‘You are not being fair to me as the government has already made its stand clear on the matter… but since you want to get my opinion, I would like to say that homosexuality is unacceptable to our society.’

Arrests, violence, and harassment of LGBTI people are common, and access to medical aid can also be a problem, with people being refused medical treatment on the basis of their sexuality.

In March this year, Tanzanian MP Exekiel Wenje said he would introduce a law similar to those enacted in Nigeria and Uganda to criminalise further consensual same-sex sexual conduct. When told that such a law would affect the amount of aid the country receives, Enje replied: ‘We should not care about aid, we should care about our values and the future of the country.’

Zambia

You can get up to life in prison in Zambia for ‘unnatural offences’ and gross indecency. Last year, Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba urged the Zambian public to report homosexuals, and two 21 year old men were arrested by police in response to reports from neighbours that they were engaging in homosexual acts. Both were subjected to non-consensual anal examinations by forensic doctors as part of the investigation.

Minister of Youth and Sports Chishimba Kambwili called in to a radio show and said that defenders of LGBTI rights were ‘agents of the devil’, adding that the government would be ‘introducing stiffer penalties against homosexuality.’

Zambians who have fought against discrimination have been systematically silenced.