Maldives activists say new president won’t bring LGBTQ rights to country
Maldives, a Southeast Asian country that is a popular tourist destination, on Sept. 30 elected a new president. Doctor Mohamed Muizzu, leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives and the president-elect, secured 54 percent of the total votes.
He defeated incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party. Maldives does not offer any rights to the LGBTQ community.
Consensual same-sex sexual activities are prohibited in the country under the Penal Code 2014. Same-sex couples can face up to eight years in prison and 100 lashes (for both men and women.) The penal code works under the Islamic laws that criminalize same-sex relationships in the country.
Solih in 2019 started to work on human rights concerns and LGBTQ issues in the country, but the previous government abandoned the work after Islamic extremists pressured them.
