Thursday, January 16, 2014

Nigeria: Eleven men face stoning to death for homosexuality


The BBC reports on the citizens' arrest and upcoming "trial" of 11 men in Nigeria:

An Islamic court in Nigeria's northern state of Bauchi has put on trial 11 Muslim men accused of being homosexuals in violation of their religion, a religious leader has told the BBC.

A 12th person arrested - a Christian - would be tried under secular law, a BBC reporter says.

Under Islamic law, a person can be sentenced to death by stoning if convicted of homosexuality.

It is also illegal to have gay sex in Nigeria, according to its secular laws.

Jibrin Danlami Hassan, the commissioner of Bauchi state's Sharia Commission, said the alleged homosexuals were arrested by residents of Bauchi city. They were handed to the Islamic police force, which interrogated them, he said. "They accept that they are doing that dirty game," Mr Hassan said.

Ms Aken'Ova said some of those arrested had been beaten up and tortured, but Mr Hassan denied this.

One day after the strict anti-LGBT bill — dubbed the “Jail the Gays” law — was signed into law in Nigeria, police arrested dozens of gay men, The Associated Press reports.

Police allegedly based the arrests on a list of 168 suspects purportedly obtained through torture.

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