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Efforts to expand jurisdiction of religious courts threaten rights and lives of LGBTQ people in Malaysia
chris posted on 4/19/2021 8:21:00 AM
Monday, 19 April 2021 (Geneva, Switzerland; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) â Malaysia is facing a serious threat to human rights and the HIV response with the announcement by a cabinet minister of the governmentâs plans to expand the jurisdiction of religious courts and increase penalties for LGBTQ people.
IAS â the International AIDS Society â strongly condemns the existing laws regarding same-sex relationships and the proposed amendment to strengthen Act 355, from 1965, which established state-level Syriah (Sharia) courts to enforce Islamic law. If enacted, the change would allow these courts to impart even harsher sentences for same-sex conduct than the current maximum sentence permitted under federal law: up to 30 years in prison or a fine of 100,000 Malaysian ringgit and mandatory caning.
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