Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet on Wednesday approved a measure to wipe the criminal records of gay men convicted under a Nazi-era law, and offer them compensation. The measure marks a triumph for activists after a decades-long struggle to clear the names of gay men who lived with a criminal record under Article 175 of the penal code. SEE ALSO: How modern Germany persecuted gay men long after Nazi lawThe legislation must still be approved by the Bundestag (German parliament), where Merkel's ruling right-left coalition enjoys a large majority. The measure follows Britain's so-called "Turing Law" approved in October, which offered pardons to thousands of men convicted of homosexuality before its decriminalization in 1967. More than 42,000 men were convicted during the Third Reich, and sent to prison or concentration camps.

Source: The Local March 22, 2017 11:15 UTC