Churches in Botswana have urged members of the country’s parliament to vote against a bill on same-sex relations four years after a High Court ruled in favour of LGBTQ rights in the country.

The chairperson of Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB) Pulafela Siele, encouraged legislators in the country to vote against a bill relating to LGBTQ rights ahead of its debate in the National Assembly, as the Christian body believes it will end “immorality”.

“The EFB believes that if parliament is to act as required by the bill, such an action will open floodgates of immorality and abomination in the nation such as same-sex marriage, changes of school curriculum to teach our children such practices,” said Siele.

In 2019, in a landmark ruling, a Botswana High Court judgement determined that laws criminalising consensual same-sex relationships were unconstitutional.

Thato Moruti, chief executive of the group Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana, or LEGABIBO has kicked against the action of religious leaders in the country to manipulate legislators in this week’s debate.

“I believe that the church might be starting a very dangerous trend by manipulating the legislators and the courts,” said Ms Moruti.

He added: “It is important that we understand that the church’s move may be causing some sort of destabilisation of democracy in the country because they are trying to push this Christian fundamentalism on Batswana.”

Tshiamo Rantao, the lawyer who represented the LGBTQ community in the 2019 case, opposed the decision of the National Assembly to debate on the matter and asked the legislators to stand by the court ruling on the matter.

In contrast, a member of parliament, Wynter Mmolotsi, who received the petition on behalf of the National Assembly, told VOA that the final decision on the matter now lies solely in the hands of the legislators.