The parliament in Cook Islands repealed provisions in its Crimes Act that criminalized homosexuality.
Photo by Yvette Goldberg from Unsplash.com
The Crimes (Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2023 amends amends the Crimes Act 1969, which barred homosexual acts with men who have sex with men to be jailed for five years for engaging in what was dubbed as “indecent acts” with other men. The same antiquated law also punished people hosting these acts in their premises (under section 159) with up to 10 years jail.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown was quoted as saying that this amendment “brings into the 21st century laws which were passed nearly 60 years ago removes legal language that is no longer appropriate in this day and age… Every country in the world, at some stage, has had to deal with this matter of removing discriminatory laws that criminalize people. Our country is no exception.”
