WELLINGTON — New Zealand announced plans Thursday to erase historic convictions for engaging in gay sex, apologising to those branded criminals under old laws. Homosexuality became legal in New Zealand in 1986 but people who were convicted before then still have the offence listed on their official records. After legalising homosexuality in 1986, New Zealand passed laws banning discrimination against gays in 1993 and introduced same-sex marriage in 2013. Britain this month enacted "Turing’s Law", giving a blanket posthumous pardon to almost 50,000 men convicted under old laws in England and Wales. Named after the WWII code-breaker and mathematician Alan Turing, it also allows living people to have their convictions erased, although they must apply individually.

Source: Viet Nam News February 09, 2017 02:26 UTC