the LGBTQ group Equal Namibia shared photos of people hugging in court<\/a>.<\/p>\n“Welcome to a new Namibia. A born-free Namibia,” the group said on social media.<\/p>\n
The term “born-free” was most famously used in neighbouring South Africa to describe the first generation of children growing up in the dawn of democracy after white-minority rule ended in 1994.<\/p>\n
‘I no longer feel like a criminal’<\/h2>\n
This court case was brought by a Namibian activist called Friedel Dausab, with backing from the British charity Human Dignity Trust.<\/p>\n
“It won’t be a crime to love anymore,” Mr Dausab said, reacting to the verdict. “I no longer feel like a criminal on the run in my own country simply because of who I am.”<\/p>\n
Summing up his emotions, he told the Reuters news agency he was “just happy”.<\/p>\n
The UN has also applauded the ruling, calling it a “powerful step” towards a more inclusive nation that would also improve access to health services and HIV treatment.<\/p>\n
Fearing a backlash to the ruling, the rights group Amnesty International is urging the Namibian government to ensure the safety and dignity of LGBTQ people.<\/p>\n
It said it had already documented instances of “alarming” and “threatening” speech in the country during the run-up to the court case.<\/p>\n
Namibia, first colonised by Germany, gained independence from South Africa in 1990 after a protracted war.<\/p>\n
Several nations in Africa have repealed anti-LGBTQ laws in recent years, but South Africa is the only country where same-sex couples can marry and adopt.<\/p>\n