ALL OUT REPORTS:

Days after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed one of the world’s harshest anti-gay statutes into law, All Out and the International Center For Advocacy On Right To Health (ICARH) reported a terrifying climate in which mass arrests are continuing and spreading unchecked across several localities.

ICARH confirms arrests of suspected LGBT people in at least the Oyo, Imo, Anambra and Edo states in Nigeria. The BBC and other sources have reported 11 Muslim men suspected of being gay are being tried in the northern state of Bauchi, where they could be stoned to death under Islamic law.

“We simply can not live in a world that allows any nation to round people up on the street and throw them in jail simply because of who they are or who they love. President Jonathan has opened the floodgates and unleashed a torrent of official abuse and vigilantism. Leaders around the world and within Nigeria have an obligation under international law to demand an end to this madness,” said Andre Banks, Executive Director and cofounder of All Out.

“This is an assault on the rights of every Nigerian because any person in the country could be suspected of being gay. We urge leaders around the world and within Nigeria to work to repeal the anti-gay laws and act decisively to protect all Nigerian citizens from violence, arrest and discrimination. This Act will also have adverse effects on healthcare practitioners who provide services to key populations including men who have sex with men [MSM] as well as deny access to HIV services.”