<
https://theconversation.com/ugandas-new-anti-lgbtq-law-could-lead-to-death-penalty-for-same-sex-offences-202376>
"People in same-sex relationships in Uganda now face the possibility of life in
prison after the country’s parliament unanimously passed its 2023
anti-homosexuality bill. The legislation, which Amnesty International has
called “appalling”, “ambiguous” and “vaguely worded”, establishes a range of
harsh penalties for same-sex “offences” – including the death penalty for
“aggravated homosexuality”.
The text of the bill says the law is intended to “protect the traditional
family” by not only criminalising same-sex acts themselves but also “the
promotion or recognition of sexual relations between persons of the same sex”.
If assented to by Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, the law would also make
it a duty of a gay person’s family and community to report individuals in
same-sex relationships to the authorities.
It’s a significant blow to the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda, which fought to
overturn the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2014 that already contained draconian
provisions, including life imprisonment for same-sex acts. Just five months
after Museveni assented to the 2014 act, Uganda’s constitutional court
overturned it, not due to public outcry, but on procedural grounds.
Human Rights Watch said the passage of the law opened the floodgates for
persecution of sexual minorities. HRW has described the current law as a “more
egregious version” of the 2014 act and expressed concern that it “criminalises
people simply for being who they are”.
The 2023 bill was introduced into a climate that already criminalised
consensual same-sex acts, which it referred to as “unnatural offences” under
Uganda’s penal code.
Aspects of the the 2023 bill seem to be an unnecessary duplication of the penal
code. However parliament considers its passage necessary to address legislative
gaps and “place emphasis on emerging matters” that are not contained in the
criminal law. For example, criminalising the procurement, promotion and
dissemination of literature relating to homosexuality.
Uganda’s constitution already prohibits same-sex marriage and the
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) Act of 2016 in effect prevents the
registration of organisations involved in promoting LGBTQ+ rights. This
prevents civil society organisations from advocating for the rights and welfare
of sexual minorities.
This was the case for Sexual Minorities Uganda, the country’s leading sexual
minority rights organisation, which was denied registration as the proposed
name was deemed “undesirable”. The group was subsequently forced to close."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
