Countries Where Being Gay Is Punishable By Death

With the current progressive world, being part of the LGBTQ community has become more acceptable. Although it has become a norm, it is still illegal in most Islamic and African countries. The laws are harsh towards gay people and some are even punishable by death. Same sex marriages and relations are still illegal in approximately 70 countries. Six countries among the 70 have a death penalty for this “crime”. Below are the various countries where being gay is illegal and punishable by death.

1.The Republic of Brunei

The tiny nation of Brunei declared draconian laws which made homosexuality a capital offence punishable by death. This sparked international outrage from people and world leaders. It is said that gay people were being persecuted way before the declaration. They backtracked saying they will not carry out the death penalty on the people. It is, however, not known whether that promise is being kept.

2.Yemen

In Yemen, unmarried gay men are punished by a year in prison or with 100 lashes according to the law. The married ones, however, are stoned to death. On the other hand, gay women are imprisoned upto 3 years.

3.Iran

The most public execution was in 2019 of a man who was caught being intimate with another man. The aftermath of the Islamic revolution of 1979 was homosexuality being made a crime. This was punishable by death. The president, on one occasion mentioned how they don’t have gay people like in the west.

4.Mauritania

Prior to the Sharia laws that were implemented, being gay was still illegal. It, however, was not a capital offense. Gay people were sentenced up to 3 years. This ended in 1983 where they implemented laws that made it a capital offence. Being gay is punished by being stoned.

5.Nigeria

In 2014, same sex prohibition act was signed by the president. It prohibits any marriage, registration or support of any gay groups or communities. Any person engaging in gay activities is jailed up to 14 years. While this law should apply worldwide, 12 northern states have laws that punish them by stoning them to death.

There are several other countries that punish these people by death. These are mostly Islamic countries. These include United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan.

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