Overturned by its Supreme Court Venezuela article of the military penal code, which provided prison sentence of up to three years for homosexuals. The article was struck down “due to a lack of sufficient legal clarity as to the conduct it is intended to punish”
“The provision in question, which has been criticized by international organizations, provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for soldiers who engage in ‘unnatural sexual acts’, without specifying what these acts are,” added the Court. At the same time, he ruled that the provision “is not consistent with the Constitution or international organizations (…) because it is contrary to the fundamental principle of guaranteeing human rights”.
Organizations defending the rights of the LGBTI+ community in the conservative Latin American country welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision. “After so many years of fighting we managed to cancel the article,” said activist Leandro Voloria.
A soldier who had joined when it became known that he is homosexual he stated that the annulment of the article opens the way for him to return to the army. “It must now be assessed whether, given the situation, I can return. At least I won’t be afraid anymore,” he pointed out.
Source: News Beast
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