“It was a political card that they were playing,” says Bradley Fortuin, a human rights activist. In the wake of 2019 decision, the government filed an appeal, reportedly to appease conservative voters. Before the original verdict, same-sex sexual activity had been punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment. In November 2021, Botswana’s Court of Appeal upheld a landmark 2019 ruling that had decriminalised gay sex.
