The announcement comes after the United Nations (UN) criticised the Sri Lankan penal system for criminalising homosexuality.
Nerin Pulle, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Solicitor General, has pledged to change the penal code in Sri Lanka after the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
The UPR is a process where countries within the UN have their human rights records scrutinised by other UN member states.
Homosexuality is illegal under Article 365A and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for any of the protection given to married couples.
The Sri Lankan government received seven specific recommendations, which included the decriminalisation of homosexuality – which is currently punished by a maximum of 10 years in jail.
Other recommendations were aimed to help combat discrimination that LGBTQ citizens face.
Responding to the report, Pulle said: “One development is that the government is committed to reforming the Penal Code to ensure that all offences contained in the Code are in compliance with international human rights standards.
“The government is committed to ensuring that no provision in the law would be applied to persons of the LGBTIQ community in a discriminatory manner.”
He went on to say: “Despite social, political and cultural challenges that remain with respect to reforming law, Sri Lanka remains committed h to law reform and guaranteeing non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Source and Thanks: Gay Times | Wikipedia | nirvair.in
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