Iraq criminalizes same-sex relations with maximum 15-year prison sentence

Iraq's parliament has passed a bill that criminalizes same-sex relationships, making them punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The law also targets transgender people, sentencing them to up to three years in jail for undergoing gender reassignment surgery or attempting to change their biological sex based on personal desire. The amendments were made to the 1988 anti-prostitution law and were backed mainly by Shia Muslim parties that form the largest coalition in Iraq.