Nigeria bắt giữ hàng chục người vì đám cưới đồng giới

ở Uganda, thậm chí còn tử hình họ...

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The police in Nigeria have arrested over 60 people who were in attendance at what the authorities claimed was a same-sex wedding (đám cưới đồng giới), reinforcing a crackdown (cuộc đàn áp) on L.G.B.T.Q. people in Africa’s most populous nation.

The police also broadcast the identities (công bố danh tính) of some of those arrested on social media (mạng xã hội) and encouraged members of the public to help “uphold the moral standards of the society (duy trì các tiêu chuẩn đạo đức của xã hội)” by providing relevant information (thông tin liên quan) — moves that raised concern that those who attended the event would be subjected to stigma (kỳ thị) or violence.

Under a 2014 law, anyone entering a same-sex marriage or civil union in Nigeria can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. Those who administer or witness such a ceremony can face up to 10 years in prison. At the time it was enacted, the U.S. secretary of state, John Kerry, said the law violated basic human rights protections (vi phạm biện pháp bảo vệ nhân quyền cơ bản).

Bright Edafe, a police spokesman in Delta State in southern Nigeria, said the arrests were a sign that the country was going to use an iron fist (quyền lực tàn nhẫn) against gay unions.

...Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International’s country director for Nigeria, said that homophobia (kỳ thị đồng tính) had been an issue in the country even before the 2014 law was passed, but that the legislation had become a way to put added pressure on L.G.B.T.Q. people.

...In Uganda, a draconian law passed in May includes the death penalty (hình phạt tử hình) for some kinds of homosexual acts (hành vi đồng tính luyến ái), and life imprisonment (tù chung thân) for anyone who engages in gay sex.