The government of Belize announced
Wednesday that it would not appeal a ruling that overturned the
nation's anti-sodomy laws.
Last week, Belize Supreme Court Chief
Justice Kenneth Benjamin ruled unconstitutional Section 53 of the
country's Criminal Code, which banned “carnal intercourse against
the order of nature,” widely interpreted to mean sodomy between two
men or between a man and woman, regardless of consent. Thought
seldom enforced, the law stipulated a ten-year prison sentence for
offenders.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Attorney
General Vanessa Retreage made the announcement at a press conference
in Belize City, according to various
sources.
The landmark ruling, which makes Belize
the first Caribbean nation to end its ban on gay sex, was the result
of a lawsuit filed by LGBT rights advocate Caleb Orozco in 2010.
The deadline to appeal the ruling is
August 31.