Where in the world is the worst place to be gay?

International LGBT rights groups say there are still countries where homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty

LGBT rights groups have condemned the recent developments in anti-gay laws of Nigeria and Uganda - but also points out that for some countries, the situation is even worse (ILGA)

Yesterday the Ugandan president signed into law a bill criminalising homosexuality in the country, and today a leading tabloid “exposed” what it described as the country’s top 200 gay citizens.

Yet if it seems like Uganda must be the most dangerous place in the world to be gay right now, a group of LGBT rights campaigners has produced a map showing that for many people around the world the situation is even worse.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), homosexuality is illegal and punishable by the death penalty in the whole or part of seven countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, Mauritania and Somalia.

By enacting a law that means people found have gay sex face life imprisonment, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has put his country into a group that includes Tanzania, Malaysia, Guyana and Bangladesh.

Even in countries like India, Morocco, Kenya and Jamaica homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in jail, according to the ILGA.

Writing about the new anti-gay laws that have now been passed in both Uganda and Nigeria, the ILGA said: “These developments go against the ideals of humanity and human rights. LGBT individuals are victimized, humiliated, violated and murdered within their own countries. Societies should be alarmed when governments legalize human rights violations.”