This morning, the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality Bill passed the Parliament of the northern part of Cyprus. The northern part of Cyprus was the last territory in Europe where homosexuality was still a crime.
With the adoption of the bill, Articles 171 and 173 of the Criminal Code, which specified five years’ imprisonment for homosexual acts, and three years’ imprisonment for ‘attempts to commit [these] crimes’, are abolished.
The bill goes a lot further though, including a ban on hate speech against LGBT people. It also bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the provision of public services.
