The parliament of Burkina Faso passed a law on Monday that criminalizes “homosexual practices,” with prison sentences of two to five years plus hefty fines. Burkina Faso is the 33rd out of 54 African states to ban homosexuality.

“If a person is a perpetrator of homosexual or similar practices, all the bizarre behavior, they will go before the judge,” warned Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala in a nationwide television broadcast.

Bayala said the new law would take effect immediately. He said foreign nationals convicted of violating the code could expect to be deported.

The ban on homosexuality was part of a “Persons and Family Code” that was praised by Amnesty International (AI) for some of its other provisions, such as raising the minimum age for marriage to 18 for both boys

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