While same-sex weddings remain illegal in Namibia, couples who marry abroad will now have their unions recognised in the country.

That ruling by Namibia’s Supreme Court follows campaigns by rights activists and couples who had themselves been penalised by existing laws.

The Namibia Equal Rights Movement welcomed the news by tweeting: “Love Wins! Thank you to the Digashu and Sieller-Lilles family. Your strength in this fight, has changed this nation for generations of Queer Namibians to come.

As The Namibian newspapers explains “the court’s judgement gives non-Namibian spouses in same-sex marriages the same residence rights in Namibia that are accorded to spouses in opposite-sex marriages”.

It is not yet clear what this ruling means for long-standing laws that prohibit sexual activity between men.

Source: BBC