Sharp criticism of Iraq’s ban on same-sex relationships

The law that was passed on Saturday is an amendment to the law against sex work and involves a penalty of up to 15 years in prison for relationships between people of the same sex. An earlier draft went even further and proposed the death penalty

Transgender people risk up to three years in prison. So do doctors who perform gender reassignment surgery. It will also be a criminal offense to “promote” same-sex relationships.

The National Assembly says the aim of the law is to maintain religious values.

The US believes the law is a threat to human rights and people’s freedoms and will make it more difficult for Iraq to attract foreign investment and build a broader economy.

– This change threatens those who are most vulnerable in Iraqi society. It can be used to prevent freedom of expression and limit the efforts of non-governmental organizations, the US State Department said in a statement.

Rights groups condemn the law as an attack on human rights and on LGBT+ people in Iraq. Queers are often subjected to discrimination and attacks in a country where homosexuality is taboo, even though there has not been an explicit ban on relationships between people of the same sex until now.