Thousands of protesters gathered outside a Nigerian Shariah court, throwing stones and demanding the quick convictions of seven men accused of belonging to gay groups. Security officers shot over the heads of the protestors to stop them. It caused the trial to be halted by the judge so the men could return to the safety of the prison. In the same court last week a man was publicly whipped after being convicted of sodomy. Though he was tried under Islamic law, his was the first conviction of a gay man in Nigeria since the president signed a bill that further criminalises homosexuality under the penal code. Under Shariah law, a death sentence can be handed out for sodomy.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 24th January 2014 - 10:49am