Uganda, known for its strict laws against homosexuality, has yet again sparked controversy with its recent announcement of plans to introduce the death penalty for ‘aggravated homosexuality’. This bill, currently under review in parliament, has been met with international criticism and condemnation. This move is expected to lead to serious violations of human rights, particularly among Uganda’s already marginalised LGBT community. In this article, we delve into the details of the proposed capital punishment law and its potential consequences for Uganda’s LGBT population.
Uganda Passes Anti-LGBT Legislation
Uganda has passed a bill which criminalizes identifying as LGBT, with severe penalties including life imprisonment for engaging in homosexual activities. The bill is one of the harshest in the world targeting the LGBT community, in a country where gay people already face legal discrimination and mob violence. More than 30 African countries, including Uganda, have already banned same-sex relations.
Supporters of the new law claim that a broader range of LGBT activities need to be punished, as they threaten traditional values. Under the law, people will be banned from promoting and abetting homosexuality, as well as conspiracy to engage in same-sex relations. Severe penalties will be in place, including death for so-called aggravated homosexuality and life imprisonment for having gay sex.
Aggravated homosexuality involves engaging in gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law. The bill was passed by nearly all the 389 representatives in the Ugandan capital Kampala, late on Tuesday inside a packed parliamentary chamber.
The legislation now will go to President Yoweri Museveni who can either veto the bill or sign it into law. He recently suggested he was supportive of the move, accusing Western nations of “trying to impose their practices on other people”. The bill was introduced last month by an opposition politician who said his goal was to punish the “promotion, recruitment, and funding” of homosexuality.
During a debate on the bill, politician David Bahati said, “Our creator God is happy [about] what is happening… I support the bill to protect the future of our children. This is about the sovereignty of our nation, nobody should blackmail us, nobody should intimidate us.” However, politician Fox Odoi said the bill was “ill-conceived” and unconstitutional because it “criminalizes individuals instead of conduct”.
An earlier version of the bill enacted in 2014 was later nullified by a court on procedural grounds. Human Rights Watch described the legislation as “a more egregious version” of the 2014 law, which drew widespread international concern and was struck down amid pressure from Uganda’s development partners.
If signed into law, the bill “would violate multiple fundamental rights, including rights to freedom of expression and association, privacy, equality, and non-discrimination”, Human Rights Watch said. “One of the most extreme features of this new bill is that it criminalizes people simply for being who they are as well as further infringing on the rights to privacy, and freedoms of expression and association that are already compromised in Uganda,” the group’s spokesperson Oryem Nyeko said in a statement earlier this month.
This stands as a major threat to the LGBT community, and activists are already speaking out about the dangers of such a bill. Such moves can lead to increased violence and discrimination against individuals who are already marginalized in their own communities. It is essential that governments respect the rights of all their citizens, regardless of their gender identities and sexual orientations. It is time for governments across the world to stand together and protect human rights globally.
