Angola Decriminalises Homosexuality

Human Rights Watch has declared that the African country of Angola has decriminalised homosexuality by lifting colonialist-era penal codes and instating anti-discrimination laws, reports CNN.

HRW has said these new anti-discrimination laws specifically protect gay people, banning the refusal of employment or services based on a person’s sexual orientation. This type of discrimination is now punishable with up to two-year years in jail.

Angola’s new penal code also does away with the term “vices against nature” which is meant to reference same-sex relationships.

"In casting aside this archaic and insidious relic of the colonial past, Angola has eschewed discrimination and embraced equality," the Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

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