Legal minds urge government to respect sodomy ruling
Legal experts have urged government, especially the executive and the legislature, to respect Friday’s High Court ruling, which gives effect to scrapping the country’s sodomy law.
The ruling was made after LGBTQIA+ activist Friedel Dausab brought a court application seeking to denounce the sodomy law as unconstitutional and invalid. Although it was largely obsolete, the laws in question criminalised consensual same-sex sexual acts between adult men in private.
The High Court on Friday declared the common law offence of sodomy and unnatural sexual offences unconstitutional and invalid.
Toni Hancox, the director of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), praised Dausab's bravery but also said she hoped that people would respect the court's ruling.
Uno Katjipuka of the Nixon Marcus Public Law Office also praised the ruling. "One can only hope our government, the executive and legislature respect our constitutional values of equality and dignity for all, enough to let it be," she said.
Reacting to the ruling, Dausab said: “I hope that this historic ruling will allow us to hold hands in public, introduce our other halves to our families, and celebrate our love in public. I hope that people can start dreaming of a love that is not a crime."
The ruling was made after LGBTQIA+ activist Friedel Dausab brought a court application seeking to denounce the sodomy law as unconstitutional and invalid. Although it was largely obsolete, the laws in question criminalised consensual same-sex sexual acts between adult men in private.
The High Court on Friday declared the common law offence of sodomy and unnatural sexual offences unconstitutional and invalid.
Toni Hancox, the director of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), praised Dausab's bravery but also said she hoped that people would respect the court's ruling.
Uno Katjipuka of the Nixon Marcus Public Law Office also praised the ruling. "One can only hope our government, the executive and legislature respect our constitutional values of equality and dignity for all, enough to let it be," she said.
Reacting to the ruling, Dausab said: “I hope that this historic ruling will allow us to hold hands in public, introduce our other halves to our families, and celebrate our love in public. I hope that people can start dreaming of a love that is not a crime."
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