Sri Lanka Supreme Court clears path for decriminalisation of homosexuality
2 minute read May 9, 2023 7:18 AM EDT Last Updated 3 hours ago
Sri Lanka Supreme Court clears path for decriminalisation of homosexuality
By Uditha Jayasinghe
COLOMBO, May 9 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has given the green light to a bill seeking to decriminalise homosexuality, the speaker of parliament said on Tuesday, in a move hailed as a "historic development" by campaigners.
LGBTQ+ rights activists in Sri Lanka have been campaigning for years to change the law in a country where homosexuality is still punishable by a prison sentence and a fine, leading to the private member's bill presented in parliament last month.
The Supreme Court, after hearing more than a dozen petitions on both sides of the argument, ruled it was not unconstitutional, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said.
“The Supreme Court is of the opinion that the bill as a whole or as any provision thereof is not inconsistent with the constitution,” the speaker told parliament.
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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-supreme-court-clears-path-decriminalisation-homosexuality-2023-05-09/
Non-paywalled link: https://news.yahoo.com/sri-lanka-supreme-court-clears-111814429.html
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