Criminal
The 2019 Penal Code, with a 2020 decriminalisation reversal
Gabon recodified its criminal law in 2019. The new code criminalised same-sex relations, and parliament reversed that provision in 2020 after domestic and international objection — an unusually rapid legislative reversal.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de première instance and Cours d'appel try offences; the Cour de cassation reviews.
- Deadline — Garde à vue: 48 hours, extendable by the prosecutor
- Deadline — Appeal: ten days from judgment in criminal matters
Governing law
- Loi n° 042/2018 portant Code pénalin force 2019
- Loi n° 003/2020 repealing the same-sex provision
- Code de procédure pénale
In practice
The 2019 code and its 2020 amendment are a useful reminder that recodification is not the same as liberalisation: Gabon's new code both modernised sentencing and introduced a new offence, then withdrew it within a year.