Diskriminierung von Schwulen in Tunesien hält an

Aus den Gaystarnews:

Tunisia is prosecuting people suspected of being gay under the country’s anti-gay laws.

Authorities use private information on suspects’ phones to extract confessions, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

What’s more, Tunisia forces suspects to undergo anal exams. HRW denounces these as ‘cruel, degrading, and inhuman’.

Article 230 of Tunisia’s penal code punishes consensual same-sex conduct with up to three years in prison.

‘The Tunisian authorities have no business meddling in people’s private sexual practices, brutalizing and humiliating them under the guise of enforcing discriminatory laws,’ said Amna Guellali, Tunisia director at HRW.

HRW urged parliament to quickly abolish Article 230. It should also enact a law to protect people’s privacy.

Furthermore, public prosecutors should abandon sodomy cases and investigate police ill-treatment of LGBTI individuals.

In June, it looked as though Tunisia may decriminalize gay sex. The country’s equality committee recommended to reform the law.

LGBTI activists in Tunisia are very active, despite the threat of punishment.

Earlier this year they held demonstrations protesting the gay sex ban and even hosted the country’s first LGBTI film festival.

But, police shut down the demonstrations for the protesters ‘own security’.