Botswana court to hear case against criminalisation of gay sex

Botswana’s High Court will hear on Thursday a case challenging the criminalisation of gay sex, offering campaigners a rare chance to argue for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (LGBT) on a continent where homosexuality remains highly contentious.

Botswana’s Penal Code outlaws “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” and those convicted face jail sentences of up to seven years.