Tunisia: Gay lawyer stands for presidency

Mounir Baatour, 48, who leads a group called Shams, which seeks decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country, has officially applied for a place on the ballot ahead of the election on September 15.

His bid for office is the first of its kind in the Arab world.

Mr Baatour is also president of the Liberal Party and has campaigned for issues including gender equality, defending minorities, “recognising the rights of people of the Amazigh” ethnic group and LGBT rights.

“The fact that I’m gay doesn’t change anything. It’s a candidacy like all the others,” he told Agence France-Presse.

“I have an economic, social, cultural and educational programme for everything that affects Tunisians in their daily lives,” he added.

“Our platform seeks to democratise power by reinforcing the weight of parliament and giving more weight to local institutions,” Mr Baatour posted to Facebook.

In 2013 he was imprisoned for three months for sodomy with a 17-year-old student, which he continues to deny.