April 13, 2018 - 3:54 PM
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad - A court in the Caribbean island of Trinidad & Tobago has ruled that colonial-era laws banning same-sex intimacy between consenting adults are unconstitutional.
Human Rights Watch praised the ruling on Friday and said it was a win for all LGBT activists including defendant Jason Jones. Jones had challenged the law and left the island after experiencing what he said was severe discrimination.
A so-called "buggery law" in Trinidad & Tobago states that those found guilty of anal intercourse can face up to 25 years in prison. Another law states that those found guilty of being intimate with a person of the same sex without having intercourse can face up to five years in prison.
The island's attorney general said he would appeal Thursday's ruling by the High Court of Justice.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018