Anal homosexuality tests illegal, Kenyan court finds

Picture: Supplied

Picture: Supplied

Published Mar 22, 2018

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Nairobi - A Kenyan court ruled Thursday that the forced anal

examination of men suspected of being gay is unlawful, a verdict

rights groups welcomed after arguing the tests constitute torture.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, as in many other countries on the

continent, and forced anal exams have been carried out against men

arrested on suspicion of having homosexual relations.

"On Thursday... a three-judge bench handed down a ruling in a case

appealing the state's cruel and degrading treatment of two Kenyan men

while under arrest in 2015," a statement from Kenya's National Gay

and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said.

"The humiliation and pain caused by these useless anal examinations

will follow our clients for the rest of their lives," said the

organization's head of legal affairs, Njeri Gateru.

Nearly 600 people in Kenya were prosecuted for homosexuality between

2010 and 2014, according to the latest government figures.

Another court case is underway to decriminalize gay sex, punishable

by 14 years prison, with the next hearing expected in April.

dpa

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