A top Namibian court Friday struck down colonial-era laws criminalizing same-sex relationships, marking a significant victory for the LGBTQ community.
The high court in Windhoek declared the crimes of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offenses” as “unconstitutional and invalid”. The ruling overturns rarely enforced laws from 1927, which Namibia retained after gaining independence from South Africa in 1990.
The London-based Human Dignity Trust called the ruling “historic,” with its chief executive, Tea Braun, stating, “LGBT Namibians can now look to a brighter future.”
The United Nations AIDS program, UNAIDS, praised the ruling as a “significant victory for equality and human rights,” with regional director Anne Githuku-Shongwe noting it as a “powerful step towards a more inclusive Namibia.”