Gay Sex Is No Longer A Crime In Mauritius
A 185-year-old British colonial-era law had made anal intercourse between gay men a crime.
In a historic moment, Mauritius Supreme Court has ruled that criminalizing same-sex acts is unconstitutional.
In Mauritius, a British colonial-era law criminalized anal intercourse between gay men with up to five years in prison.
On Wednesday Oct. 4, the court determined the law breached people’s rights to freedom of expression, privacy, and liberty, ending the 185 years colonial law.
The case was brought forward by activist Abdool Ridwan (Ryan) Firaas Ah Seek in 2019.
Ah Seek, who has been living with his partner for the last 10 years, said, “he lives in constant fear of being arrested as Section 250(1) of the Criminal Code criminalizes acts of sexual intimacy between men in Mauritius”, according to the Supreme Court’s judgement.
LGBTQ rights organization, Human Dignity Trust , said there is no record of the law being enforced for years, but the existence of it marginalizes and discriminates LGBTQ people.
“From today, as a citizen and a human being, I am now free to love whoever I want to without fear. Above all, it also means that the next generations can fully and freely embrace their sexuality without fear of being arrested,” Ah Seek said.
Activists hope the ruling will cause other Africa nations to overturn their anti-gay legislation.
South Africa, Botswana, Seychelles, Angola and Mozambique have also ended colonial laws that criminalized consensual intercourse between gay people in recent years.
