Iraq’s adoption of strict anti-2SLGBTQ+ law sparks international criticism

The passing of a law by the Iraqi parliament without much attention was not well-received by human rights groups and diplomats.This law would give long prison sentences to gay and transgender people.

Matthew Miller, who speaks for the US State Department, said that the new law in Iraq could harm the people who are in the most danger and limit people’s ability to speak freely. He also said it could scare off businesses from investing in Iraq.

“Global business groups say that discrimination in Iraq will hurt the country’s economy and business growth,” the statement said.

The British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the law is “dangerous and worrying. ”

In Iraq, being gay is not accepted in society, and political leaders have worked against LGBTQ+ rights. But there was no specific law in Iraq that made being gay a crime.

The law was passed on Saturday as a small change to the country’s current law against prostitution. Being with someone of the same gender can get you 10 to 15 years in prison. Also, if you change your gender or act in a feminine way, you could be put in jail for one to three years.

It also stops any group that supports “sexual deviancy,” with a punishment of at least seven years in prison and a fine of no less than 10 million dinars (about $7,600).

The first version of the law against prostitution, which didn’t pass, said that people could be killed for being in a same-sex relationship.

Iraqi leaders support the law because they think it reflects their society’s values, and they see criticisms of it as interference from the West.

The speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, said in a statement that the vote was important to protect the values of society and children from immoral behavior and homosexuality.

Rasha Younes, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that the law in Iraq approves of the mistreatment of LGBT people and violates their human rights, like freedom of speech and equality.

In 2022, a report said that in Iraq, armed groups have been kidnapping, raping, hurting, and killing LGBT people without punishment. It also said that the government in Iraq has not been making sure that the people who do these bad things are punished.

A bunch of Iraqi officials said they want to kick out the US Ambassador Alina Romanowski because they think she’s getting involved in their country’s business. This comes after she criticized some of their laws.

Iraqi people interviewed on Sunday shared different opinions.

Ahmed Mansour from Baghdad said he likes the law because it follows the Quran and Islamic religion by completely banning this topic because of religious beliefs.

Hudhayfah Ali, who lives in Baghdad, said he is against it because Iraq has many different groups of people who believe in different religions.

“He said, how can a law go against democracy and personal freedom in a democratic country like Iraq. “