In 2019, Gabon became the 70th country in the world to ban gay sex under a penal code that vowed to publish ‘offenders’ with up to six months in jail and a fine of five million Central African francs (over £6,300).
At the country’s National Assembly on Tuesday (30 June), 48 members of parliament – including Prime Minister Julien Nkoghe Bekale – voted to revise the archaic law, while 25 abstained and 24 voted against.
Jessye Ella Ekogha, a spokesperson for Gabon’s presidency, told Reuters that it was “adopted with a large majority of 59 votes” in the Senate.
In a closed door session, 17 Senators voted against the move and four abstained. Gabon historically joins Seychelles, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana as one of the few countries in