UPR Info

Amend or repeal section 18 (4) (c) of their Constitution in order to protect women and persons with disabilities from discrimination

Affirm that the right to life applies from conception until natural death, and as such that the unborn child has the right to protection of his or her life at all points

Amend or repeal section 18 (4) (c) of the Constitution of Lesotho, which allows for discrimination against women with respect to adoption, marriage, divorce, burial and devolution of property on death

Resist calls to further liberalize abortion, and instead implement laws aimed at protecting the right to life of the unborn

Amend legislative provisions that discriminate against women and girls in areas relating to marriage, inheritance and family

Repeal legislation that could lead to self-censorship, including the Sedition Proclamation of 1938 and the Internal Security Act of 1984

Put an end to threats and intimidations against journalists and human rights defenders and promote freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in the Constitution, by retracting the notion of the “crime of sedition” from the Penal Code

Abolish the death penalty and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Consider positively the establishment of a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition

Consider taking all necessary steps to introduce a de jure moratorium on capital executions with a view to fully abolishing the death penalty, including by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Guarantee legal status to persons with disabilities by fully adopting the draft law on equal opportunities establishing a disability benefit

Implement legal reforms to protect the human rights of all persons irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity

Repeal provisions in the Penal Code that criminalize same-sex relations between consenting adults, and amend relevant legislation to ensure discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is explicitly prohibited

Decriminalize consensual same-sex relationships between adults, and introduce comprehensive anti-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity

Review and amend the legislative framework to ensure that sexual orientation and gender identity are included as protected grounds for non- discrimination

Include in the legislation a provision prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and reform laws that criminalize consensual sexual relations between same-sex persons, such as the Penal Code of 2010, and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, section 187 (5)

Amend section 3 of the Marriage Act of 1974 for it to be inclusive of same-sex couples

Decriminalize consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex and expand its anti-discrimination legislation to include a prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

Criminalize homophobia and transphobia to prevent violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons

Consider ratifying the outstanding core international human rights treaties and conventions, including the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Ratify the third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, fully implement the Child Protection and Welfare Act, and ensure effective law enforcement

Ratify the main international human rights instruments to which the country is not yet a party

Ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

Consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Abolish the death penalty and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Reconsider ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

Consider ratifying the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights