As the devastating anti-LGBT laws spread through several African countries, the Ethiopian government now proposes a new bill to create a worse climate for that country's LGBT population. The new bill would add potency to an already existing law making living as LGBT even more difficult than before. The current law prohibits and criminalizes all LGBT relations and offers up to 15 years in prison if caught. The proposed bill would make an LGBT person unpardonable by the president.
Ethiopia's president often pardons thousands of prisoners during the Ethiopian New Year. When the Bill becomes law, the president will lose his power to pardon prisoners facing charges ranging from homosexuality to terrorism.
The proposed bill is not yet a part of the Ethiopian law. If passed, it will compound the challenges faced by the Ethiopian LGBT community.