selected
The libel trial instigated by Irish author Oscar Wilde (pictured) began, eventually resulting in his arrest, trial and imprisonment on charges of gross indecency.
Related Wikipedia articles
Defamation
Article 19.2 International Covenant on civil and political rights. of 1966 Lella C. Linton
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions that are falsifiable, and can extend to…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Oscar Wilde
Irish poet and playwright (1854–1900)
Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s. Regarded by most commentators as the…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Labouchère Amendment
1885 law in the UK
Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, commonly known as the Labouchère Amendment, made "gross indecency" a crime in the United Kingdom. In practice, the law was used broadly to prosecute male homosexuals where actual sodomy could not be proven. The penalty of life…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)