Prepared by: SanctuaryNow.gay
Date: August 2025
Region Focus: Muslim-majority countries with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation
Executive Summary
This report documents the legal persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals across select Muslim-majority countries and outlines SanctuaryNow.gay’s direct interventions through our Legal Advocacy program. Data is drawn from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ILGA World, and our own verified case files from January 2024 to June 2025.
The evidence is clear: laws criminalizing same-sex relationships are systematically weaponized to target individuals, often resulting in imprisonment, torture, or execution. SanctuaryNow.gay provides emergency legal defense, bail funds, courtroom monitoring, and asylum preparation for those at immediate risk.
Between January 2024 and June 2025, our legal partners intervened in 61 cases across 7 countries, securing 29 acquittals, 14 bail releases, and 12 safe relocations.
1. Global Legal Landscape
According to ILGA World’s 2024 State-Sponsored Homophobia Report:
- 64 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts.
- 33 of these countries are Muslim-majority nations.
- 6 countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Mauritania) impose the death penalty.
- 9 countries (including Nigeria, Pakistan, and Uganda) impose sentences ranging from 5 years to life imprisonment.
Source: ILGA World, 2024; Human Rights Watch, 2023
2. Documented Patterns of Abuse
Our 2024–2025 monitoring identified recurring tactics used by authorities:
- Entrapment via dating apps (documented in Egypt, Pakistan, and Tunisia)
- Mass arrests at private gatherings (Nigeria, Uganda)
- Forced medical examinations (Yemen, Egypt)
- Public humiliation campaigns (Saudi Arabia, Somalia)
- Police-instigated blackmail (Pakistan, Nigeria)
Example: In Egypt (2024), 27 individuals were arrested in a single week after authorities conducted coordinated raids using online entrapment.
3. SanctuaryNow.gay Legal Advocacy Program – Impact Data
Period Covered: Jan 2024 – Jun 2025
| Intervention Type | Cases | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Legal Defense | 42 | 69% acquittals |
| Rapid Response Bail Funds | 14 | 100% releases |
| Courtroom Monitoring & Documentation | 9 | Ongoing evidence submissions |
| Safe Relocations & Asylum Prep | 12 | 92% successful asylum applications |
Total Direct Interventions: 61 cases in Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Uganda, Yemen, Tunisia, Somalia.
4. Case Snapshots
Egypt – Ahmed (2024)
Arrested via dating app sting. Charged under “debauchery” laws. Released on bail after our partner lawyer filed a procedural challenge. Relocated discreetly and asylum case prepared.
Nigeria – Mariam & Leila (2025)
Accused by neighbor, detained without charge, and beaten. Our legal partner secured their release and filed a police misconduct complaint — an uncommon act of accountability.
5. Funding Allocation Transparency
Breakdown of Legal Advocacy program expenditures (Jan 2024 – Jun 2025):
- 45% – Legal fees & court costs
- 25% – Bail funds & detention release
- 15% – Documentation & evidence gathering
- 10% – Relocation & asylum prep
- 5% – Coordination & secure communications
Total Program Expenditure: $148,000 USD
6. Urgency & Outlook
The threat landscape is worsening:
- Iran (2024): Public executions for “sodomy” increased by 27%.
- Uganda (2024): Expanded death penalty provisions for “aggravated homosexuality.”
- Egypt (2025): New digital surveillance law increases state monitoring of LGBTQ+ communications.
Without rapid, sustained funding, many victims will face imprisonment or execution before legal aid can reach them.
7. Recommendations
- Increase Donor Contributions – Expand lawyer network in Yemen and Afghanistan.
- Advocate for International Pressure – Encourage diplomatic and economic consequences for human rights violators.
- Enhance Digital Security – Invest in encrypted communication tools for at-risk individuals.
- Expand Bail Fund – Immediate release reduces risk of torture in detention.
Conclusion
In these countries, the law is not a shield — it is a sword. SanctuaryNow.gay’s Legal Advocacy program provides the only lifeline for many facing persecution. With increased resources, we can turn more trials into acquittals, more arrests into releases, and more death sentences into asylum victories.
Call to Action: Stand with us. Protect them. Give today.
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