FILE - In this March 19, 2015 file photo, a page from the notebook of Alan Turing, the World War II code-breaking genius, is displayed in front of his portrait at an auction preview in Hong Kong. Turing, who was convicted of indecency in 1952 for being gay and later killed himself, was awarded a posthumous royal pardon in 2013. Britain's government announced Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, that it will posthumously pardon thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under the long-repealed anti-gay laws. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) (The Associated Press)
Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual crimes in the U.K. have been posthumously pardoned.
Justice Minister Sam Gyimah confirmed the announcement on Tuesday calling it a "truly momentous day."
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The new legislation, known as "Turing's law", has been a commitment of the government after the case of World War II code-breaker Alan Turing.
Turing was given a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 over a conviction in 1952 for gross indecency.
He was chemically castrated and died in an apparent suicide in 1954.
The pardons were first announced last year, and have now been officially rubber-stamped.
Pardons will now be given to those convicted of consensual same-sex relationships before laws were changed.
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