World News Updates: Cameroon Arrests; Lesbian Hate Crimes

Attacks Against Lesbians in the Philippines

An LGBT organization in the Philippines released new numbers that show the deadliest place for lesbians in that nation is the island of Mindanao.

Six of the 12 known bias-related murders of lesbians happened on that easternmost island. Gays, bisexuals, and transgender people are more routinely murdered in the National Capital Region, which includes Manila. Read more from Manila's Sun.Star website.

Arrests in Cameroon

Meanwhile in Africa, Amnesty International is calling for Cameroon officials to release two young men imprisoned for same-sex relations. The men, one 19-year-old and one 20-year-old, were arrested on July 25 while in a parked car in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde. Amnesty is also calling for the nation's law that criminalizes same-sex acts, Section 347a, to be repealed. Another Cameroon man is currently in prison for sending texts to a male acquaintance.

"Cameroon should repeal this draconian law. By arresting people purely because of their alleged sexual orientation, the Cameroonian government is flagrantly violating international human rights treaties which it has signed or ratified," said Erwin Van Der Borght, Amnesty International's Africa Program director, according to StarAfrica.com.

Arrests under Section 347a appear to be on the rise, according to the article.

Nepal's Version of a Gay Rights Rally
Gay rights proponents gathered in Nepal this weekend to call for their inclusion in a new constitution being drafted for the country. See images from the rally here.