Two women in Comoros have been released following a court ruling that found them guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual activity but sentenced them to shorter terms than the time they had already spent in detention.
The women, aged 19 and 25, were arrested in June after allegedly asking an Islamic preacher to marry them, although this charge was not substantiated during their trial.
Held behind closed doors, the trial saw both women admit to having had intimate relations. Judge Abdoulahim Hamadi sentenced them on Thursday to six and five months in jail, respectively, for actions deemed “contrary to good morals and against nature.”
While their release brings some relief, their lawyer, Mze Kaambi, expressed frustration over delays in the judicial process. “I am happy my clients are free, but the slow pace of the verdict’s issuance was regrettable,” he said.
Same-sex relationships are criminalized in Comoros, a predominantly Muslim nation in the Indian Ocean. This case marks the first known trial involving two women accused of homosexuality in the country.
