Iraq: US, UK condemn bill criminalizing homosexuality

Condemnation poured in after Iraq's Parliament altered pre-existing laws to criminalize homosexuality, with the US warning  that the move "threatens those most at risk."

The legislation explicitly criminalizes homosexuality, already taboo in the largely conservative Arab country.

The amendment to a 1988 anti-prostitution law was passed quietly on Saturday. It punishes same-sex relations by a jail term of 10 to 15 years. Gender-transition is meanwhile punishable by one to three years in jail, alongside the "intentional practice of effeminacy."

The law also bans organizations which promote "sexual deviancy," punishing them by at least seven years in jail and a fine of a minimum of 10 million dinars (approximately $7,600.)

What has the reaction to the law been?

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that the law "threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society" and "can be used to hamper free-speech and expression."

He also warned of its potential economic impact, saying it would "weaken Iraq's ability to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment."

"International business coalitions have already indicated that such discrimination in Iraq will harm business and economic growth in the country," he said.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called the law "dangerous and worrying."

Rasha Younes, a senior researcher with the LGBTQ+ Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, said the law's passage "rubber-stamps Iraq's appalling record of rights violations against LGBT people and is a serious blow to fundamental human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and association, privacy, equality, and nondiscrimination."

But Iraqi officials defended the law.

The acting Iraqi parliamentary speaker, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, said in a statement that it was "a necessary step to protect the value structure of society" and to "protect our children from calls for moral depravity and homosexuality."

Iraqi media reports suggest an initial draft of the legislation stipulated that same-sex relations would be punishable by the death penalty.