Death penalty for same-sex sexual intimacy is in operation in eight UN States though it appears to be implemented only in five: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. While not officially codified, the death sentence is implemented widely across Iraq.
It is also enacted provincially in 12 northern states in Nigeria and the southern parts of Somalia. There is also evidence that people who express their sexual or gender diversity are targeted in the areas occupied by Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) in northern Iraq and Syria.
Brunei Darussalam is currently phasing in a Syariah Penal Code that sees, in black letter law, the death penalty introduced for certain same-sex sexual activity in 2016, but seems unlikely to be implemented in actuality.
Each of these countries adopts either a Sharia code in parallel to their civil codes (one allowed by the other, and generally just applicable to people within the Muslim faith), or a purely Sharia code, the adoption of the death penalty for specific same-sex sexual behaviours is the result of particular interpretation of the code.
Interpretation of the principles of law encoded in the Sharia varies widely across States and territories (and non-States) that utilise it, and only a small number employs the death penalty.
The information is based on 2015 State-Sponsored Homophobia report from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. ILGA is a worldwide federation of 1100 member organisations from 110 countries campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights.
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