A youth group with ties to the Ethiopian government and another group linked to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church say they plan to stage an anti-gay demonstration in the African country at the end of April, The Washington Post reports.
The groups claim gay sex is not part of Ethiopia’s culture and say the march is a bid to raise awareness about what they characterize as an increase in same-sex sexual activity.
The leader of the church group, which is co-organizing the march, also made the provocative allegation that children are being raped by gay people.
News of the demonstration, scheduled for April 26, comes as lawmakers prepare to consider a bill that would make homosexuality an offence for which those convicted will not be pardoned.
Same-sex relations are against the law in Ethiopia, with offenders facing up to 15 years in prison, while those convicted of infecting another person with HIV through same-sex sexual intercourse could be sentenced to 25-year prison terms.
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