Somalia - Universal Periodic Review - LGBTQ+ Rights - September 2025
Country: Somalia
Issues: LGBTIQ+ Rights
Mechanism: UN Universal Periodic Review
Report Type: Stakeholder Report
This report provides an overview of human rights developments related to the treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual- and gender-minority (LGBTQ+) people in Somalia since Somalia's last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2021. The criminalization of private consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults leaves sexual and gender minorities at serious risk of harm and systematic exclusion. LGBTQ+ individuals in Somalia report cultural exclusion, threats, violence, and may face the death penalty in parts of Somalia and Somaliland. Local militia groups enforce violent punishments for LGBTQ+ individuals and those who support them, leading to significant limitations on free expression. Somalia's criminalization of same-sex sexual activity enables a culture where LGBTQ+ individuals are subject to conversion therapy, disownment, and violence, and many such individuals eventually seek safety outside of the country.
In this report, we use the acronym LGBTQ+ to refer to individuals who self-identify as
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minorities. These
terms necessarily do not include everyone who may experience violations of their human
rights on the basis of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or
gender expression (SOGIE), which is why we also include a "+" with the acronym. Any
use of a modified acronym is intentional in that we are speaking only about certain
members of the LGBTQ+ population. This report was written in collaboration with an unnamed human rights organization in
Somalia that did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals for reporting on human rights
violations experienced by LGBTQ+ people. Given the severe social norms against
LGBTQ+ people and the lack of protection for both LGBTQ+ people and all human rights
defenders, our unnamed partners expressed concerns for their safety. They did, however,
provide information about their work with LGBTQ+ people and validated secondary
research
