Uganda's parliament has passed an
anti-gay law that punishes "aggravated homosexuality" with life
imprisonment.
The bill drew wide condemnation when
it was first introduced in 2010 and initially included the death penalty, but
that was removed from the revised version passed by parliament.
The law passed on Friday sets life
imprisonment as the penalty for gay sex involving an HIV-infected person,
acts with minors and the disabled, as well as repeated sex offenses among
consenting adults, according to the office of a spokeswoman for Uganda's
parliament.
"Now anybody found practising,
recruiting for or publicising homosexuality commits a felony," said
Simon Lokodo, Uganda's Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity.
He added that the law provided for punishments of between two years and life
behind bars.
"We will get hold of all those
encouraging others to become homosexuals or lesbians. Anybody we find
recruiting or using materials to promote homosexuality, we will arrest."
For the bill to be enacted it must be
signed by President Yoweri Museveni. There is currently some speculation
as to whether he will sign the bill, which was first introduced to parliament
in 2009, in to law.
'Fear and persecution'
The passage of the bill makes it
"a truly terrifying day for human rights in Uganda," said Frank
Mugisha, a prominent Ugandan gay activist, who called the legislation
"the worst in the world".
He urged the country's president not
to sign it into law.
"It will open a new era of fear
and persecution," he said. "If this law is signed by President
Museveni, I'd be thrown in jail for life and in all likelihood killed."
Homosexuality was already illegal in
Uganda under a colonial-era law that criminalised sexual acts "against
the order of nature."
The Ugandan politician who introduced
the bill to parliament argued that tough new legislation was needed because
homosexuals from the West threaten to destroy Ugandan families by allegedly
"recruiting" Ugandan children into gay lifestyles.
Ugandan gays denied this claim,
saying that Ugandan political and religious leaders had come under the
influence of American evangelicals who wanted to spread their anti-gay
campaign in Africa.
In March 2012 Ugandan homosexuals
sued Scott Lively, a Massachusetts evangelical, under the Alien Tort
Statute that allows non-citizens to file suit in the US if there is an
alleged violation of international law.
Lively denied he wanted severe
punishment for gays, and has previously told The Associated Press news agency
he never advocated violence against gays but advised therapy for them.
Homophobia widespread
In 2012 Ugandan gays held their
first gay pride parade and have previously joined street marches in support
of all human rights.
Despite criticism of the bill abroad,
it was highly popular among Ugandans who said the country had the right to
pass laws that protect its children.
The bill was repeatedly shelved
despite the protests of Ugandan politicians.
Homophobia is widespread in Uganda.
Gay men and women in the country face frequent harassment and threats of
violence, and rights activists have also reported cases of lesbians being
subjected to "corrective" rapes.
In 2011, prominent Ugandan gay rights
activist David Kato was bludgeoned to death at his home after a newspaper
splashed photos, names and addresses of gays in Uganda on the front page
along with a yellow banner reading "Hang Them".
|
No comments:
Post a Comment