Gabon Plans to Bring Back Criminal Punishment for LGBT Relations

A bill that would reinstate criminal penalties for same-sex relations is being considered in the National Assembly of Gabon, a country in Central Africa. As reported by MambaOnline, the document proposes penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to 10 million CFA francs (about 17,000 US dollars).

In addition to banning the relationships themselves, the bill also introduces criminal liability for public support and LGBT activism. The initiative is currently being reviewed by the parliamentary Committee on Laws, Administrative Affairs, and Human Rights.

Consensual same-sex intimacy in Gabon had historically never been prosecuted until July 2019, when a provision on “offenses against morality” was added to the Penal Code. However, the law was repealed in June 2020, and homosexuality was decriminalized once again.

Following the 2023 military coup and the rise to power of President Brice Oligui Nguema, conservative trends have strengthened in the country. In November 2024, a new constitution was adopted via a national referendum, strictly defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

In response to the potential passage of the new law, the international human rights organization All Out has launched a petition urging Gabonese authorities to reject the document, pointing to its inconsistency with the country’s international human rights obligations.