Lawmakers in Burkina Faso have unanimously passed legislation outlawing homosexuality, with offenders now facing prison terms of between two and five years, state television announced late Monday.
The revised family code, which was endorsed by the military government of Ibrahim Traoré more than a year ago, officially came into force following Monday’s vote.
With this move, Burkina Faso becomes one of over half of Africa’s 54 nations that enforce anti-homosexuality laws, where punishments range from lengthy jail terms to, in some countries, the death penalty.
Although such measures attract strong criticism internationally, they are widely supported locally, where many citizens and leaders dismiss homosexuality as a foreign import rather than a natural sexual orientation.
