A step back for human rights as Iraq enacts severe laws against the LGBT community

The Iraqi government has initiated a campaign against the LGBT community, with the national parliament enacting legislation to criminalise homosexual and transgender relationships. Under this law, expressions of love could lead to 10 to 15 years imprisonment.

The topic of same-sex relationships continues to provoke debate and hostility in many parts of the globe. Public displays of affection, such as hand-holding, can result in ridicule, pointing fingers, or even threats. In certain instances, this negativity escalates into violence, even within nations regarded as liberal-minded.

Attacks on LGBT individuals for the mere act of being themselves happen frequently. Moreover, several countries have legal measures in place that outright ban any form of same-sex relationships, subjecting individuals to jail time.

On a Saturday, the 27th of April, the Iraqi parliament ratified a bill introducing punitive measures against those in same-sex relationships. This legislation specifically targets gay and transgender persons, allotting penalties of 10 to 15 years behind bars.

The government stated that the enforcement of such draconian policies was essential to uphold religious values and to shield the Iraqi public from moral decay and the global surge in calls for homosexuality.

The legislation further bars any biological sex modifications upon request and the intentional wearing of clothing deemed "feminine," which could invoke a sentence of up to three years in prison. Initially, the proposal called for a death sentence or perpetual incarceration for those engaged in same-sex relationships, but this provision was later scaled back. A total of 170 members backed the revised law.

The U.S. State Department has condemned the merciless legislation, labelling it a "threat to human rights and freedoms." Amnesty International also expressed disapproval of the law's stipulations.

The director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch, Rasha Younes, remarked to the Reuters agency that the passage of a bill by the Iraqi "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."