Liberia: New Bill Aims to Punish Homosexuality with Life in Prison

An extreme anti-LGBTIQ+ bill has been introduced in the Parliament of Liberia, following in the footsteps of similarly draconian legislation passed in other African nations.

The copycat bill, titled the Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024, was submitted to the House of Representatives by Representative Johnson Williams last month.

According to Williams, passing the bill would ensure the protection of “…traditional values compatible with public and national progress.”

Same-sex sexual activity is already illegal in the West African country, with penalties of up to one year in prison.

The draft law seeks to amend Chapter 14 of the penal code to make homosexuality a more serious criminal offence, punishable with 10 years for homosexuality and life in prison for “aggravated homosexuality.”

The journalRAGE website has secured a copy of the legislation, dated 4 July 2024, which is very similar to other anti-LGBTIQ+ bills passed in Uganda and Ghana.

The proposed law would also outlaw advocacy for LGBTIQ+ rights and the so-called “promotion of homosexuality.” It would further jail anyone who allows their premises to be used for the “purposes of homosexuality.”

Appallingly, it seeks to imprison children aged 10 to 15 for three years and those between 16 and 18 for six years if they are found guilty of the offence of homosexuality.

After being read on the House of Representatives’ floor, it was forwarded to the joint committees on Gender, Health, and Judiciary.

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” was signed into law in May 2023. Since then, there have been hundreds of reported human rights violations targeting LGBTIQ+ people, including arrests, evictions, forced anal examinations, and torture.

The Ghanaian Parliament passed its Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on 28 February, but President Nana Akufo-Addo has yet to sign it into law, pending the outcome of two court challenges.