Two Gabonese were arrested Monday, November 9 in Makokou, in eastern Gabon, for “contempt of good morals” after having simulated a same-sex marriage and kissing in public, explained the mayor of the city and a source familiar with the matter.
On June 23, the Gabonese Parliament passed a law decriminalizing homosexuality. “But the law does not allow to celebrate a union between people of the same sex or to kiss in public because it offends morality”, explained this source, on condition of anonymity. This “Case is a first in Gabon”, said this source.
“Outrages” punishable by two years in prison
According to the Gabonese penal code, insults against good morals are punishable by two years in prison and a fine of 2 million CFA francs (€ 3,500). The two women arrested in Makokou are aged 47 and 26.
“The law is clear, a marriage takes place between two people of different sexes”, explained Guy-Roger Ekazama, the mayor of Makokou. “They explain their act by their desire to adopt children”, he continued.
The images of this union have been widely disseminated and commented on on social networks. Gabonese society and churches remain largely hostile to the law passed on June 23 by Parliament which decriminalizes homosexuality.
In sub-Saharan Africa, homosexuality is largely illegal, more than half of its countries prohibit or repress homosexual relations, sometimes with the death penalty.
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