[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] on Thursday criticized Gambia [press release] for its passage and enforcement of legislation criminalizing homosexual acts. In October Gambia President Yahya Jammeh [BBC profile] signed into law a bill [JURIST report] which imposes a sentence of life imprisonment for some homosexual acts. The bill amends the criminal code to define “aggravated homosexuality,” which encompasses repeat offenders, those living with HIV/AIDS and where a minor is involved. Since the law was signed, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reports that security forces have threatened individuals accused of homosexual acts with torture [AI report] if the accused individuals did not confess and provide the names of other homosexuals. Hussein concluded his statement by calling on Gambia to protect the rights of all persons equally, regardless of sexual orientation.

The bill is similar to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act [text, PDF] which was struck down [JURIST report] in August. One week later Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyomb appealed the constitutional court ruling, and Ugandan politicians are currently drawing up new anti-gay legislation [JURIST reports] to be presented before parliament by the end of the year. Many see the anti-homosexuality acts as a reaction to major legislative reforms in support of same-sex marriage [JURIST backgrounder] in the US and other nations. In 2010 US President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined the US Congress in denouncing the bill [JURIST report]. Roughly two-thirds [BBC report, map] of African nations have criminalized homosexuality, according to an AI report published earlier this year.