The Democratic Republic of Congo’s new Justice Minister, Constant Mutamba, has made headlines with his clear intent to target the LGBTQ+ community despite the country having no current laws against homosexuality. Historically, the DRC has been more lenient regarding the sexual orientation of its citizens compared to some neighboring countries. However, Mutamba’s recent actions and past campaign promises indicate a potential shift towards repression and criminalization of homosexuality, raising concerns among the LGBTQ+ community and human rights activists.
- Constant Mutamba, the newly appointed Justice Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is openly homophobic and is seeking to crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community.
- The DRC does not currently have laws persecuting homosexuality, making it relatively liberal in comparison to some of its neighbors.
- Mutamba has been in office for two weeks and has urged the courts to target the promotion of homosexuality.
- During his unsuccessful presidential campaign last year, Mutamba promised to ban homosexuality and proposed legislation to criminalize homosexual acts with jail sentences between five and ten years.
- On June 15, Mutamba instructed the state prosecutor to pursue individuals who “apologize for homosexuality, group sex, and other forms of sexual deviance.”
- The state prosecutor’s response to Mutamba’s request was to issue summons rather than pursue criminal charges, a move seen as relatively mild but still concerning.
- LGBTQ+ activists in the Congo express fears that Mutamba’s actions could undo years of outreach work, potentially leading to a climate of increased homophobia, arrests, and violence.
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