The Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, is considering whether to recognize Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as “safe countries of origin.” Yet LGBT people are still persecuted in all three places. Luise Amtsberg , a Green member of parliament and an expert on refugee policy, said that due to the dangers faced by homosexuals face in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, her party is opposed to recognizing the Maghreb states as safe countries of origin. The plan was overwhelmingly approved in the lower house of the parliament in January. It has yet to pass the upper house, which shot down a similar move in 2017. All three Maghreb states list homosexual acts as a punishable offense, for both men and women. “This is an absolute violation of human rights,” said Amtsberg. “These rights are fundamental for Germany to consider a country safe.”