File Photo A 28-year-old man has been whipped 20 times in a northern Nigerian Shariah court after being convicted on a charge of sodomy. AP reports that though Mubarak Ibrahim was found guilty under Shariah law, it is the first conviction of a gay man in Nigeria since President Goodluck Jonathan signed the 'jail the gays' bill. Activists believe the new law has whipped up homophobia and endangers gay people in a country where lynchings and mob justice are common. Ibrahim pleaded guilty to committing one act of sodomy seven years ago. He said he was misled into the act by the principal of the high school he was attending and has not committed a homosexual act since. Judge Nuhu Mohammed said he would spare Ibrahim the sentence of death by stoning because the crime occurred so many years ago and because the young man had shown "great remorse". The 20 lashes were administered in the public court. Ibrahim also was ordered to pay a fine. Activists report dozens of gay men have been arrested and tortured into giving others up under Nigeria's new "jail the gays" law, which bans marriage equality and gay support groups, as well as public displays of affection by same-sex couples. An Islamic court has put 11 Muslim men on trial accused of violating their religion due to their alleged sexuality, and if found guilty they could be sentenced to death by stoning.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 17th January 2014 - 2:20pm