The Iraqi parliament has stirred international scandal by drafting a law that criminalizes heterosexual outrages. It has received pressure from platforms of human rights. The Contentious bill that was introduced amended the anti-prostitution law of 1988, with corporal punishment of up to fifteen years being introduced for those engaging in homosexual sexual relations.
Not only that, but the legislative act also includes provisions on international human rights, the environment, and social justice. Concomitantly, it is also directed at the LGBTQ community, which results in a seven-year prison sentence for mere propaganda of homosexuality. Homosexuals are sentenced to as many as three years of imprisonment for the identity of their gender. Medical doctors conducting sex change operations receive the same sentence.
Human rights agencies have criticized the act of doing so not only as a very harsh violation of human rights but also as a very inhumane action. Amnesty International researcher Razaw Salihy asserted this, holding up the fact that Iraq, through legislation in law, has become the discriminative and violent ending for members of LGBT, with no impunity, have been subjected to for years.
Discrimination against the LGBT community has been deeply rooted in Iraq society, which has been considered conservative for years. However, such relations were not forbidden by Iraq’s laws. This is the first regulation to be made in a country where any such romantic relationship is, by default, illegal.
According to the American State Department, the law constitutes serious worry and is “against different communities” as it violates the current reforms in Iraq. Nevertheless, Iraqi parliament member Reid al-Maliki praised the proposed bill as a “preventive measure that would ward off the upcoming societal chaos.”
With the international community facing challenges in accounting for the issue, there is a debate whether aiming to follow this region’s advancement is possible or will be underpinned by restricting fundamental rights.
