Today, the Iraqi parliament adopted a law that criminalizes homosexual relations and transgender people, with penalties that can amount to up to 15 years in prison.
The law was adopted after the first version, which provided for the death penalty.
The international non-governmental organization Amnesty International immediately reacted by criticizing the "violation of basic human rights", assessing that the amendments adopted today "threaten Iraqis who are already harassed on a daily basis".
Those amendments, which amend the law against prostitution from 1988, were adopted at a session attended by 170 deputies out of 329, according to the press service of the Iraqi parliament.
The new law foresees sentences of ten to 15 years in prison for homosexual relations, as well as for the exchange of sexual partners (swing) in heterosexual relations, according to the text, which was seen by the AFP agency.
The law bans "any organization that promotes homosexuality in Iraq", punishable by seven years in prison for "promoting homosexual relations".
The law also prohibits "change of biological sex based on individual wishes or preferences" and provides for a sentence of one to three years in prison for any person or doctor involved in gender transition.
A similar punishment is provided for any man whose behavior is considered effeminate.
Iraqi society rejects homosexuality, and the small LGBT+ community is often the target of "kidnapping, rape, torture and murder" by armed groups that go unpunished for their crimes, according to a 2022 report by the international NGO Human Rights Watch.
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