Love wins in Angola

 By: Surprise Golela

Angola has officially decriminalised same-sex relationships and prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The landmark law decriminalising homosexuality adopted by Angola in 2019 which took effect on Thursday is viewed as a victory for LGBTQ+ rights, not only in the country, but also on a continent where same-sex relationships remain illegal in the majority of states.

The ruling also means that anyone refusing to employ or provide services to individuals based on their sexual orientation may face up to two years in prison.

According to Human Rights Watch, the previous laws on same-sex sexual relations had been rarely prosecuted, but served as a basis for undue scrutiny and discrimination. The new law includes imprisonment of up to two years for discrimination based on sexual orientation.

At the time, passage of the new law was seen as part of a broader effort strengthening the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the country. The government had given legal status in 2018 to the advocacy group, Iris Angola. The group called the move an “historic moment” in defending the rights of the community in the country.

“This is an act of sovereignty by the Angolan State which, after 134 years of being governed in the criminal and criminal fields, with a code that has been in force since 1886, from the colonial administration, now has the penal code totally inspired by political reality, legal, cultural and social Angolan,” Francisco Queiroz, minister of justice and human rights, said at the time. “Therefore it is an aspect that must be underlined, this is one of the consolidation of the national sovereignty.”