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Loading ...Burundi criminalizes homosexuality
04.27.2009 4:45pm EDT
(Bujumbura) Burundi has become that latest African nation to outlaw homosexuality.
The provision makes homosexuality a criminal offense with up to three years in prison and heavy fines. It has the backing of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who said Monday he will sign the legislation as soon as it reaches his desk this week.
The bill is part of a sweeping reform of the country’s criminal code that also bans capital punishment, protects women and children from all forms of violence – especially sexual violence – and toughens laws on genocide.The legislation passed Burundi’s House last year, but the Senate removed the ban on homosexuality. The ban was quietly reinstated last week and passed the upper house. Amnesty International’s Africa program director Erwin van der Borght welcomed the abolition of the death penalty in Burundi, saying that it “further strengthens the international trend towards abolition.” Burundi has now become the 93rd country in the world to abolish the death penalty for all crimes.
But he said in a statement, “this good news is undermined by the government’s decision to criminalize homosexuality, in violation of Burundi’s obligations under international and regional human rights law. It also flies in the face of Burundi’s constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy.”
Amnesty warned that the provision could result in the imprisonment of people solely for their actual or imputed sexual orientation, including private sexual relations between consenting adults.
Health organizations in Burundi have said that the new law may also limit the effectiveness of their work to curb HIV/AIDS. They have stated that the current amendment undermines attempts to ensure that people have access to voluntary counseling and testing, to information about prevention of infection and access to treatment where needed.
I agree with Tiger.
Anyone who hates a people (ANY race of people) just because of who they are, is in my mind an effing bigot. I do not CARE if they happen to be a gay bigot, they are STILL a bigot.
Bigots are the slime of the earth. PERIOD.
@ Thomas
A big AMEN brother.
Is it wildly ironic? This country used to ban blacks and now black countries are banning gays.
I agree with Dave, ” it’s sad to see so much racism present in a community which is the subject of historical and contemporary prejudice”
This can be traced back to good ole’ Western colonialism. Victorian ideals of sexuality interposed as something indigenous to Africa (and other colonized countries) when it is an import that is now commonly thought of as natively African when in reality queerness in the forms of homosexuality and various types of transgender and transsexuality existed in Africa pre-colonization.
Sad to see so much racism present in a community which is the subject of historical and contemporary prejudice.
Sadly, Im afraid that what Rodney is saying is basically true. Africa on the whole has yet to produce anything truly worthwhile. I mean it’s fantastic that they’ve FINALLY abolished death penalty(for how long who knows), but then turn around and attack us. WTF??? Homophobia seems to be quite a disturbing trend among HETEROSEXUALS period! Black or white. Do away with the straights and all of the world’s problems(poverty, war, famine, disease and social injustice)will vanish along with them. Get the picture. Peace out.
Again, another African country gone nuts! I fear that gays will continue to be persecuted like the ‘Jews’ have been over the centuries. I suggest it continues to be due to organized religion bantering and blustering. Religion has a large presence in Africa these days, to say nothing of Islam. Sad really. Religion is suppose to give people favor and solace. Yet, it causes only pain.
How do you cure starvation and poverty?
By banning homosexuality!!!
C’mon guys, it works; don’t you see the connection? Oh wait, you don’t? I don’t either.
Tiger,,
It has nothing NOTHING to do with skin color, it has everything to do with character, inteligence and behavior. Are there decent Africans? Of course, but they’re a small miniscule minority. The vast majority of Africans are pretty worthless, as evidenced by Prop 8, Barack Homophobama, James Withers, etc. Even gay blacks come onto this website and are little more than appologists for black homophobia. Ask yourself, how many gay white men have engaged in lynchings? How many gay white women have bitch smacked some homophobic ghetto hoe, even though it deserved it?
This is gonna be harsh, but I could care less. I wouldn’t shed a single tear if tommorrow I woke up and I never had to see, hear or watch another African/black person. Imagine a world without gang warfare over East Coast vs West Coast, image a world without gangsta rap, Somali pirates, Regaeton, James Withers. Whatever real loss humanity had to endure, the positive gains would be immeasurable.
*sighs* Oh to dream!!
Rodney Moore Said: “As Reverend Father Uncle Ruckus has said “any of you who call me racist are all hypocrits cos you each and everyone of you can name ten n*ggers you hate right now if you have to”.
If I hate anyone, it is because of their character, their actions, their interaction with society, but never because of the color of their skin. Be a man and at least have the balls to stand up for your racist perspective, rather than trying to blame it on “black homophobia”. If you hated them because of their homophobia, thats one thing. When you condemn a group of people based on skin color, thats just racism. If taking a stand to say you are full of [crap] is being a hypocrit, then I will wear that title proudly.
Ha ha ha Zac,, so true.
As much as I want to be appalled at my own “racism” and such statements like your own. I can’t because they’re true.
Look at the mindless droves of lemings in California who voted for Prop 8 cos their HNIC(Head Negroid In Charge) Barack Obama’s voice was played over and over again saying “I believe marriage is between one man and one woman”. It’s sad, sickening and pathetic. How am I supposed to view all this African ignorance, Prop 8, Homophobama, Burundi, Nigeria, Senegal, etc etc etc etc etc.
Penguins are more inteligent, I agree. At least penguins are monogamous and take care of their offspring instead of letting them become gangsta rappers, somali pirates or worse yet become like James Withers.
Rodney,
Wow. You hate me. I’m hurt.
Listen my little racist. When you decide to stop worshiping at the feet of David Duke and his ilk, let me know.
Sincerely,
James
I think this is far from surprising. There are more intelligent penguins in Antarctica than there are intelligent people in Africa.
Burundi is 67 Christian ( 62 percent Roman Catholic) I’m going to quote from Africa News.(March 9, 2009)
Bishops in Burundi plan an event to denounce what is perceived as a legalization of homosexuality in that country. At the root of what seems a religious consensus in Burundi, is the rejection by the Senate to amend a penal code whose result was the criminalization of homosexuality.
The government could be caught between a rock and a hard place: annoy the Christian population and lose votes in the next election or upset donors and potentially lose a part of international assistance.
http://www.africanews.com/site/Burundi_Churches_fight_homosexuality/list_messages/23621
Mr Withers,
If you voluntarily turn yourself in for the crime of Africanness, you get a first class ticket to Burundi. And hopefully they wont have internet in Burundi for you to nag and gloat about the loss of marriage equality. I’m sure very few if any would miss you.
This might be politically incorrect, but I can’t think of anything positive or remotely useful from Africa or Africans. Did Africans invent the internet, modern medicine, human rights? No, the only thing I see coming from Africa or Africans in general is famine, despite most of the fertile land on the planet, disease, despite many pharmaceutical and homeopathic plant species, poverty, despite having the largest deposit of diamonds, gold and raw materials. As soon as the European colonizers left Africa, and power was transfered the entire subcontinent descended into savagery, tribal warfare and ethnic cleansing. Does anyone expect warp driver or any major technological advances from this place? I think not.
As Reverend Father Uncle Ruckus has said “any of you who call me racist are all hypocrits cos you each and everyone of you can name ten n*ggers you hate right now if you have to”. My list would include the likes James Withers, Barack Hussein Homophobama, Roland Martin, all black Prop 8 voters, Burundi, Somalia, etc etc etc.