Anti-homosexuality laws in Trinidad and Tobago overturned
The UK's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has overturned laws criminalizing same-sex intimacy in Trinidad and Tobago. The ruling marks the first time the court has decided on such a case, potentially setting a precedent for other Commonwealth nations still using colonial-era anti-homosexuality laws.
Why it matters
This is a landmark human rights victory that challenges the legacy of colonial-era legislation and promotes LGBTQ+ equality in the Caribbean.
Image source, Jason Jones Image caption, The victory comes after an 11-year legal battle by dual-citizen Jason Jones
A UK court has overturned laws criminalising same-sex intimacy in Trinidad and Tobago.
London's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), the Caribbean island's final court of appeal, ruled the laws were not in keeping with the "fundamental individual right to respect for private and family life."
The judgement is the result of an 11-year legal battle brought by dual-citizen Jason Jones, 62, who said he hoped it would "accelerate the fight for full equality."
Jones had successfully challenged the laws in 2018 in Trinidad's High Court, however the ruling was overturned on appeal by the Trinidadian government.
It is the first time the JCPC has ever decided on a case to decriminalise same-sex intimacy, and campaigners hope it will spark similar successful legal challenges elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
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