Botswana has become the latest country to decriminalise homosexuality after the High Court rejected laws punishing it with up to seven years in prison.
The three judges came to the decision unanimously.
Judge Michael Elburu labelled laws banning gay sex as "discriminatory" and added: "Sexual orientation is not a fashion statement. It is an important attribute of one's personality."
The ruling came less than a month after Kenya's High Court had upheld similar sections of its own penal code.
More than two dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa have laws criminalising gay sex, often holdovers from colonial times. Earlier this year, Angola joined Mozambique and Seychelles as they banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Scenes of joy as decriminalization Of homosexuality made official in Botswana #repeal164 pic.twitter.com/pBch7o6kdh
— Ryan Brown (@ryanlenorabrown) June 11, 2019
