22 year-old ‘Marwan’ is currently being held behind bars for ‘confessing’ to being gay.

Gay Flag

During his questioning police officers threatened to rape him if he did not admit to having homosexual relationships. They also carried out an intrusive examination to ‘prove’ he’d had sexual intercourse with a man.

He has now been sentenced to a year in prison.

Demand the Tunisian authorities release Marwan now.

A crime to be gay

Incredibly, it is still illegal to be gay in Tunisia. Article 230 of the Penal Code criminalises same-sex relations.

This doesn’t just violate Tunisia’s own constitution, it also puts the country in violation of numerous human rights obligations it has signed up to.

This criminalisation also fosters violence against LGBTI people in Tunisia, and creates an environment in which transphobic and homophobic crimes are more easily accepted.

Causing a shift in Tunisia

Many people in Tunisia are outraged by Marwan’s case, and it has triggered unprecedented action against both the criminalisation of same-sex acts, and forced anal examinations.

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