Namibia: Supreme Court backs gay couples who marry abroad
Namibia's top court recognises unions of same-sex couples who married in countries where it was legal for them to do so
In recent weeks on Newsday we've been covering a lot of stories on LGBT+ rights across Africa - in countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda.
In Namibia, the Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriages legally conducted outside the country must be recognised by the government.
It鈥檚 an historic judgement, but what exactly does it mean, and where might it lead? Werner Menges, reporter for The Namibian daily newspaper explained why the ruling was about equality before the law not changing the law - yet.
"This ruling was basically about equal rights and the court came down on the side of saying that the Namibian Constitution guarantees equality and specifically the dignity of all people."
"The country still has an old common law on the books which criminalises sodomy but that is very rarely enforced if ever, and is subject to a pending case in the high court where an applicant has applied to have that law declared unconstitutional.
(Pic: A flag of many bright coloured stripes often used by gay communities around the world; Credit: 大象传媒)
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