Privy Council strikes down Trinidad and Tobago's colonial-era gay sex ban
The gist
The London-based Privy Council struck down Trinidad and Tobago's colonial-era gay sex ban in a final ruling.
The decision ends an 11-year legal battle and binds courts across the Caribbean nation.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2017Jason Jones filed the case arguing that so-called "buggery" laws dating from when Trinidad and Tobago was a British colony are unconstitutional.
- Apr 2018Trinidad's High Court found the laws unconstitutional.
- Mar 2025A local appeals court partially reversed that ruling.
Key terms
- Privy Council
- A formal body of advisers to the British sovereign, whose judicial committee serves as the highest court for some overseas territories.
- Commonwealth
- An international association of 56 member states, most of which are former territories of the British Empire.
Source: Wikipedia