Europe Asia News

On Tuesday, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court annulled a law that criminalized same-sex relations in Saint Lucia.

The decision concerned provisions in the state’s penal code that prohibited gross indecency and anal sex. Under the now-repealed law, violations of these provisions could result in up to ten years in prison.

According to the court, these provisions violated constitutionally protected rights to privacy, life, liberty, human dignity, freedom of expression, and protection against sex-based discrimination.

Although these criminal provisions have rarely been enforced in recent years, activists and queer movements believed they posed a threat to homosexuals in Saint Lucia and facilitated further legitimization of discrimination.

UK-based Human Dignity Trust, which supports legal challenges against laws criminalizing homosexuality worldwide, said: “The very existence of this provision is a human rights violation and forms the basis for further discrimination.”