A top court in the Dominican Republic deliberates anti-sodomy laws targeting police and military

A top court in the Dominican Republic has agreed to review a challenge to laws dating from the last century that criminalize gay sex involving members of the army and police force.

It’s the first time in recent history that someone in the socially conservative Caribbean country has challenged laws that punish such actions with up to two years in prison for police and one year for the military.

While prosecutions are rare, “that’s never the end of the story,” said Cristian González Cabrera, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, in an interview Saturday.

“The laws single out a vulnerable social group, giving legal sanction for discrimination, violence, and prejudice against (LGTBQ+) people,” he said.

The Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court heard the case on Friday and is now deliberating the laws that date from 1953 for the army and 1966 for the police. The 50-page challenge submitted to the court states that the laws constitute “a constant threat and risk that rests like a guillotine over their heads every day of service.”