Gay Married Couples Face 14 Years In Jail In Nigeria
Nigerian President Jonathan signed off on the jail time for same-sex couples.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was “deeply concerned” after Jonathan signed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2013, which proposes up to 14 years in jail for law-breakers.
The veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described it as “one of the world’s most homophobic laws” while advocacy groups called it “tragic” and a backward step in the fight for equality.
Jonathan’s spokesman Reuben Abati earlier confirmed to AFP that the head of state had signed the bill earlier this month after it was approved by parliament last year.
But he dismissed global concerns, saying the law was consistent with the attitudes of most people towards homosexuality in the highly religious west African nation.
