Mauritius' highest court has decriminalized gay sex, saying the ban reflected colonial-era, rather than indigenous values. The ruling comes at a time of rising homophobia and tougher anti-gay laws in some African states. British colonialists first criminalized Sodomy in 1898, but the law has not been enforced in recent years. The case in Mauritius was brought by Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek, who argued that the offense of sodomy breached his basic rights, including the right to liberty. The Supreme Court said the law did not "reflect any indigenous Mauritian values but was inherited as part of our colonial history from Britain". The ruling means that people can no longer be arrested for having gay sex, but parliament will have to repeal the law to make it legal. #Queer Up The World View