Current Version
| Region | Samoa |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Ambiguous |
| Start Date | 1961 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | Male homosexuality is criminalised in Samoa with up to 5 years in prison, but female homosexuality is legal. However, Samoan customary law in village lands is not required to be constitutional to be registered, nor does it even need to be registered to be enforceable. Cases dealing with customary law can only be appealed to the Land and Titles Court while Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions do not have any binding authority. |
| Sources | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/samoa/ https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sam175870.pdf https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sam222836.pdf |
| Federal Law | Yes |
Revision History (6)
edited by DaisyGeekyTrans. Reverting to revision #63423:
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Male illegal, female legal | (REMOVED) |
| Special Status | Male illegal, female legal | Ambiguous |
edited by DaisyGeekyTrans. Information is definitely noteworthy but doesn’t change the status
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | (REMOVED) | Male illegal, female legal |
| Special Status | Ambiguous | Male illegal, female legal |
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Male illegal, female legal | (REMOVED) |
| Special Status | Male illegal, female legal | Ambiguous |
| Description | Sodomy is criminalised in Samoa with up to 5 years in prison. However, the law is unenforced in practice. | Male homosexuality is criminalised in Samoa with up to 5 years in prison, but female homosexuality is legal. However, Samoan customary law in village lands is not required to be constitutional to be registered, nor does it even need to be registered to be enforceable. Cases dealing with customary law can only be appealed to the Land and Titles Court while Supreme Court and Court of Appeal decisions do not have any binding authority. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/samoa/ | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/samoa/ https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sam175870.pdf https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/sam222836.pdf |
Show Difference | ||
edited by DaisyGeekyTrans. Adding info on enforcement.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Up to 5 years prison. Decriminalization pending. | Sodomy is criminalised in Samoa with up to 5 years in prison. However, the law is unenforced in practice. |
Show Difference | ||
| Federal Law | No | Yes |
| Sources | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/samoa/ |
Show Difference | ||
edited by Pizzaslices412653
Helpful?
0 | Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Up to 5 years prison | Up to 5 years prison. Decriminalization pending. |
| Sources | Samoa | https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37227803 |
created by robertshippey
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Male illegal, female legal |
| Start Date | 1961 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | Up to 5 years prison |
| Sources | Samoa |