Ethiopia proposes to make homosexuality ‘non-pardonable’ offence

Bill expected to pass in upcoming vote

Ethiopian lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill that would list homosexuality as an offence for which those convicted will not be pardoned, The Associated Press (AP) reports.

Same-sex relations are criminalized in the African country, with offenders facing up to 15 years in prison, while those convicted of infecting another person with HIV through same-sex sexual intercourse could be sentenced to a 25-year prison term, the report adds.

AP quotes the head of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission as saying that the bill is not detrimental to gay people and that a pardon is a privilege, not a right.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Read More About:
Power, News, Human Rights

Keep Reading

Job discrimination against trans and non-binary people is alive and well

OPINION: A study reveals that we have a long way to go to reach workplace equality for trans and non-binary people

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight