This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, Gabon's National Assembly made a significant step towards decriminalizing homosexuality by voting to adopt an amendment to criminal legislation.
The amendment, which was introduced by the Senate in July 2019, stipulated that having homosexual relations in Gabon was considered 'an offence against morality', punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of five million CFA francs ($8,600, 7,600 euros).
However, the National Assembly voted to remove this paragraph from the legislation, with 48 deputies voting in favour of decriminalisation, 24 against, and 25 abstaining.
The bill must still be adopted in the same terms by the Senate for it to be passed.
Homosexuality is widely criminalised in sub-Saharan Africa, with more than half of its countries banning or repressing homosexual relations.
