According to the city administration, Ethiopian security personnel are repressing alleged gay sexual conduct at hotels, pubs, and restaurants in the nation’s capital, Addis Abeba.
Many governments have proposed stronger laws and sentencing in recent years, most recently in Ghana and Uganda, and several African nations that prohibit homosexuality have increased the severity of the law’s enforcement.
According to rights organizations, the LGBTQ community in Ethiopia remains hidden because its members experience severe persecution and worry about being killed or shunned if their identities are found.
Following tips from the public, the government’s Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau stated it was taking action “against institutions wherein homosexual acts are carried out” and had previously searched a guest home in the city.
The municipal government posted on Facebook, “If there is any sympathy for those who commit and carry out this abominable act which is hated by both God and humanity, we (the bureau) will continue to take action.”
Although it is against the law to engage in gay sex in Ethiopia, there have been no recent reports of anyone being found guilty of consenting to same-sex relationships.
An LGBTQ advocacy organization, the House of Guramayle, stated earlier this week that it deplored a recent uptick in attacks on people in Ethiopia because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.