On Thursday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court struck down a controversial provision in the Military Justice Code that criminalized homosexuality in the military. The court overruled a provision that provided for a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment for “lacking sufficient clarity and legal accuracy regarding the conduct it seeks to punish,” the court said on its website.
It called for punishment for military personnel who committed “unnatural sexual acts” but failed to define what that meant, the statement said.
The provision was at odds with constitutional and human rights advances, the court added.
Members of the conservative Venezuelan LGBTQ community welcomed the decision.
“After years of struggle, we have succeeded in revoking the provisions of the Military Justice Law,” activist Leandro Viloria told AFP.
An army officer who was expelled after the army found out he was gay told AFP the removal of the article opened the possibility for him to request reinstatement.
“Now it’s a matter of assessing whether my reinstatement will go ahead given the circumstances. At least this will put an end to my fears,” he said on condition of anonymity.
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