Lebanon's LGBTI rights 'under siege:' Coalition calls for immediate action

The Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression in Lebanon, comprising fifteen Lebanese and international organizations, has accused Lebanese authorities of systematically violating the fundamental human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals.

The Coalition's statement comes in response to two Lebanese officials' introduction of separate bills in August 2023. These bills seek to criminalize same-sex relations between adults and impose penalties of up to three years' imprisonment for anyone found guilty of "promoting homosexuality." 

These legislative moves follow a series of hostile incidents over the past year, including an unlawful ministerial ban on events related to homosexuality.

Rasha Younes, a senior LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch and a coalition member, expressed concern, saying, "As Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis, the authorities are cracking down on the rights of LGBTI people and allowing unchecked violence against them [...] The Lebanese authorities should immediately scrap the proposed anti-LGBTI laws and end the ongoing attacks on basic freedoms."

The Coalition called on Lebanese authorities to protect the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association, privacy, equality, and non-discrimination for all citizens, including LGBTI individuals.

While consensual same-sex conduct is not explicitly illegal in Lebanon, Article 534 of the penal code punishes "any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature" with up to one year in prison. 

However, the Coalition said that the court rulings between 2007 and 2018 found that consensual same-sex relations are not illegal. 

It added that in July 2023, nine members of parliament submitted a draft law to repeal Article 534. Still, some signatories faced an online harassment campaign from political and religious authorities, leading to one member withdrawing their support.

In response, the country's culture minister and a member of parliament introduced bills criminalizing same-sex conduct and "promoting homosexuality" without providing a clear definition of the latter.

On August 23, members of a group known as Jnoud El-Rab (Soldiers of God), openly hostile to LGBTI individuals, attacked people at a Beirut bar hosting a drag event. They physically assaulted attendees and threatened further violence against LGBTI people. 

According to the Coalition's statement, reports suggest that Internal Security Forces agents present at the scene did not intervene, instead questioning the nature of the performance. No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.

These attacks on fundamental freedoms, based on the Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression in Lebanon, have prompted backlash from media organizations and civil society in Lebanon, who have expressed solidarity with LGBTI people. 

On August 25, 18 media organizations issued a joint statement rejecting the crackdown on freedoms, including targeting LGBTI individuals.

Additionally, Wadih Al-Asmar, president of the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH), a coalition member, criticized the government, stating, "Far from serving the public interest, the Lebanese government is undermining basic rights while failing to enact urgent economic and justice reforms."

He added: "LGBTI rights are fundamental human rights, and stifling them as an excuse to keep a portion of society marginalized under the false pretext of so-called public morals is detrimental to everyone's human rights."