Spain plans to offer asylum to 'sexual refugees'

[Thom Little]

Spain is planning to give refugee status to those fleeing persecution on grounds of gender or sexual orientation in a revision of its asylum laws.

The draft law on asylum, leaked to the newspaper El Pais, would allow women facing severe persecution linked to sex discrimination to claim protection under the 1951 Geneva convention.

It would extend the same rights to homosexuals who faced serious discrimination, such as the death penalty or other severe punishment for homosexual acts, the newspaper said.

Such an overhaul would give Spain one of the most generous asylum regimes in the world.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/03/wspain03.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/03/ixworld.html

[niyad]

1. kudos to spain

[WindRavenX]

2. awesome

:thumbsup:

[CanuckAmok]

3. (CanuckAmok quickly reviews his finances...)

(...and checks to see if an winter vacation to Spain is a feasable alternative to the already scheduled "Omaha budget getaway".

And, sadly, it is not.)

[nofurylike]

4. outstanding! may this news spread round the world, fast! thank you for

posting this great news, Thom Little!


peace!

[WillParkinson]

5. The United States is the most civilized country in the world....

Ha.

We've been losing ground to other countries for years. While we're mired in an oppressive backwards thinking morality (i.e. religion, generally) other countries are able to move forward in the areas of human rights.

[Marnieworld]

6. very impressive

It's so unfortunate how needed it is.

[toopers]

7. If a state is sponsoring the death penalty for "deviant" . . .

sexual practices, wouldn't asylum automatically be assumed because of political persecution by the offending state? I am not sure if I was clear about that. Also, before I get flamed, there is a reason I put "deviant" in quotations.