World

Korean court overturns soldier’s sentence for gay sex

Seoul, South Korea – KoreaOn Thursday, the high court overturned a 2019 military court sentence for two soldiers sentenced to suspended prison for homosexuality, in a ruling hailed by a human rights group as a step forward. critical against a much-criticized law.

The Supreme Court said the military court’s sentencing did not take into account whether the relationships taking place in the personal space of the defendants were consensual, and therefore unduly limited their freedom of their sexual decisions.

“The punishment of these cases may … infringe on the human rights to equality, dignity and worth as well as the constitutionally guaranteed right to the pursuit of happiness,” the Supreme Court said in its ruling. mine.

Download NBC News App for breaking news and politics

Gay activity is not illegal for ordinary Koreans, but same-sex relationships with men in the military are criminally punishable.

The Defense Department said it would scrutinize “the intent of the Supreme Court’s ruling.” In the past, South Korean authorities have defended military rule against same-sex relationships as necessary to maintain discipline.

The two defendants were indicted in 2017 for sexual intercourse in 2016 while on off-duty duty and sentenced to up to two years in prison under the Military Penal Code.

Human rights groups have for years called for South Korea to eliminate same-sex relationships for men in the military, warning that the law promotes violence and discrimination against gay soldiers.

“This Supreme Court ruling will be an important milestone in the long-running debate on this law,” the Korea Center for Military Human Rights said in a statement.

The military act is being considered at the Constitutional Court after numerous lawsuits have been filed against it, and the center has urged the court to quickly complete a review of what it calls the “outdated” law. and bad”.

The South Korea’s first known transgender soldier’s death last year raises debate about how sexually minority members of the military are treated in a country that requires all physically fit men to serve at least 18 months.

Soldier Byun Hui-su was found dead at her home a year after being discharged from sex reassignment surgery.

You are reading the article Korean court overturns soldier’s sentence for gay sex

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here

Back to top button