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Maputo - Mozambique decriminalised homosexuality on Monday when a new penal code came into force that swept away old Portuguese colonial laws, in a victory for campaigners for gay rights in Africa.
The old code, dating back to 1886, targeted anyone "who habitually engages in vices against nature" - but no known prosecutions took place after Mozambique became independent in 1975.
Breaking the law was theoretically punishable by up to three years of hard labour.
"It's a symbolic victory, as social inclusion remains the main challenge," Frank, a student gay rights activist who declined to give his full name, told AFP.
The new penal code, which was announced last December by then president Armando Guebuza, also decriminalises abortion after lobbying by civil rights organisations.
The code came into force on Monday, though no official events or celebrations were scheduled to mark the occasion."
Maputo - Mozambique decriminalised homosexuality on Monday when a new penal code came into force that swept away old Portuguese colonial laws, in a victory for campaigners for gay rights in Africa.
The old code, dating back to 1886, targeted anyone "who habitually engages in vices against nature" - but no known prosecutions took place after Mozambique became independent in 1975.
Breaking the law was theoretically punishable by up to three years of hard labour.
"It's a symbolic victory, as social inclusion remains the main challenge," Frank, a student gay rights activist who declined to give his full name, told AFP.
The new penal code, which was announced last December by then president Armando Guebuza, also decriminalises abortion after lobbying by civil rights organisations.
The code came into force on Monday, though no official events or celebrations were scheduled to mark the occasion."