Comoros: Two Women Convicted of Same-Sex Intimacy

A same-sex female couple in the African island nation of Comoros has been sentenced to several months in prison for their intimate relationship.

Reuters reported that the women, aged 19 and 25, were found guilty in early December by a court in the capital, Moroni. They were sentenced to five and six months in prison, respectively.

The couple was arrested in June, reportedly after approaching an Islamic cleric to officiate their marriage. They were charged with engaging in “unnatural sex” and remained in custody awaiting trial until their sentencing.

The judge, however, ordered their release as they had already spent more time in detention than the length of their sentences.

The couple’s lawyer welcomed their release but criticised the length of the judicial process that led to their conviction.

Legal Context in the Comoros

Comoros, an archipelagic nation of three islands in the Indian Ocean, located between Mozambique and Madagascar, has a population of less than one million.

It is one of approximately 30 African countries that continue to criminalise same-sex intimacy.

According to Human Dignity Trust, same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under Comoros’ 1981 penal code, which criminalises “improper or unnatural acts.”

This provision applies to both men and women, carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The organisation notes that there have been few reports of the law being enforced in recent years, apart from this case.

It asserts, however, that: “The mere existence of this provision is itself a violation of human rights and underpins further acts of discrimination.”