Uganda’s president has promulgated a controversial law against the LGBTIQ+ community, which also penalizes with death to same-sex relationships, which has drawn criticism from humanitarian organizations, Western governments and has been described as one of the most repressive in the world.
“The president approved the anti-homosexuality bill 2023,” announced the office of the president, Yoweri Museveni, in a short statement on his Twitter account.
The law, lashed by the United Nations and countries like the United Statesit was approved on March 21 in Parliament and was defended by the legislators under the pretext that these measures protect the national culture and its values.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called the text “discriminatory” and expressed his “dismay” for the enactment of this “draconian” legislation.
critics
Similarly, Türk said the law opposes “the Constitution and international treaties” and paves the way for “systematic violations of the rights of LGBTIQ+ people”.
At the end of April, President Museveni asked parliamentarians to review the text, urging them to clarify that it is not a crime to “be homosexual”but that relationships between people of the same gender are penalised, i.e. sexual orientation will not be a crime, but “acts” will be, which can be punished with life imprisonment.
The new law allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, for cases of sexual intercourse involving HIV-infected persons and minors; and is punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment for the charge of “attempted aggravated homosexuality”.
Homosexuality is criminalized in the East African country as a “crime against the order of nature”by the laws that governed during colonization, but since independence in 1962 there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex sexual acts.
The legislation enjoys widespread public support in Uganda, a largely Christian country where people are very religious and the LGBTIQ+ community suffers a lot of discrimination.
The debate on the law in Parliament was punctuated by the use of homophobic slurs and the president himself referred to people attracted to others of the same sex as “pervert”.
“As Uganda’s parliament, we have taken into account the concerns of our people and legislated to protect the sanctity of the family (…). We have stood firm in defending our people’s culture, values and aspirations,” said the President of the Parliament, Anita Tra.
Steady hand
Organizations accused of encouraging same-sex relationships can be banned for ten years, according to regulamentation.
The reactions of civil society have been silenced in a country where Museveni has ruled with an iron fist since 1986.
Internationally, the bill has sparked outrage.
US President Joe Biden said today that the law constitutes a “tragic rape” of human rights and should be repealed.
A White House statement detailed that Biden has asked the National Security Council to review “US commitments to Uganda in all its aspects,” including assistance in the fight against AIDS and other aid and investment.
Washington will study the possibility of iimpose sanctions in Uganda and limit the entry into the United States of Ugandans implicated in human rights violations or corruption, according to the statement.
The head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Twitter that the law was “deplorable”.
“The promulgation of the law against homosexuality by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni it is regrettable. This law is against human rights,” Borrell wrote.
“The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all its citizens and defend their fundamental rights. Failure to do so will jeopardize relations with its international partners,” he added.
The law was also criticized during its debate by Amnesty International, which called it “profoundly repressive”.
Humanitarian organizations are looking at the new law with concern, especially in terms of health care.
“Uganda’s progress in its fight against HIV is seriously undermined,” the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the US agency Joint United Nations Program on HIV Health said in a statement. HIV/AIDS (USAID).
The declaration warns against the interference of the law on education and access to health and AIDS prevention services.
In Africa, homosexuality it is a crime in more than 30 of the 54 countries on the continent.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.