Uganda enacted one that punishes homosexual relations up to the death penalty

2023-05-29 22:40:00

Yoweri Museveni has been president of Uganda since 1986, (AFP Photo)

The President of Uganda promulgated on Monday a controversial law against the LGBTIQ+ communitywhich even penalizes relationships between people of the same sex with death, which sparked criticism from humanitarian organizations, Western governments and was described as one of the most repressive in the world.

“The President Passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023”, announced the office of the president, Yoweri Museveni, in a brief statement on his Twitter account.

The law, lashed out by the UN and countries like the United States, was approved on March 21 in Parliament and was defended by legislators on the pretext that these measures protect the national culture and its values.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, He called the text “discriminatory” and expressed his “dismay” at the enactment of this “draconian” legislation. Likewise, Türk affirmed that the law opposes “the Constitution and international treaties” and opens ways for there to be “systematic violations of the rights of LGBTIQ+ people.”

At the end of April, President Museveni asked parliamentarians to re-examine the text, urging them to specify that “being homosexual” is not a crimebut that relationships between people of the same gender are penalized, that is, that sexual orientation will not be a crime, but “acts” that They can be punished with life imprisonment.

The new law allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, for cases of sexual relations involving people infected with HIV and minors; and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison for the charge of “aggravated attempted homosexuality.”

Homosexuality is penalized in the East African country as a “crime against the order of nature”since the laws that governed during colonization, but since independence in 1962 there has never been a conviction for consensual sexual acts between people of the same gender.

The legislation enjoys broad public support in Uganda, a largely Christian country, where people are highly religious and the LGBTIQ+ community suffers a lot of discrimination.

The debate on the law in Parliament was marked by the use of homophobic slurs y the president himself referred to people who are attracted to others of the same gender as “perverts”reported the AFP news agency.

“As the Parliament of Uganda, we took into account the concerns of our people and legislated to protect the sanctity of the family (…). We stood firm to defend the culture, values ​​and aspirations of our people,” said the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among.

Organizations accused of encouraging same-sex relationships can be banned for ten years, according to the rule. The reactions of civil society were silenced in a country where Museveni has ruled with an iron fist since 1986.

international repercussions

Protests around the world against the decision of the Government of Uganda to punish homosexual relations. (AFP photo)

US President Joe Biden said Monday that the law constitutes a “tragic violation” of human rights and should be repealed.

A statement from the White House explained that Biden called on the National Security Council to review “America’s commitments to Uganda in all its aspects,” among them, assistance in the fight against AIDS and other aid and investments.

Washington will study the possibility of imposing sanctions on Uganda and restricting the entry into the United States of Ugandans implicated in human rights abuses or corruption, according to the statement.

The head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Twitter that the law was “deplorable”. “Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s promulgation of the anti-homosexuality law is deplorable. This law is contrary to human rights,” Borrell wrote. “The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all of its citizens and uphold their fundamental rights. Failure to do so will jeopardize relations with its international partners,” he added.

The law was also criticized during its debate for Amnesty International, which described it as “deeply repressive”.

Humanitarian organizations view the new norm with concern, especially in terms of health care. “Uganda’s progress in its fight against HIV is seriously compromised,” the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the US agency Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS said in a statement. USAID).

The statement warned about the interference of the law on education and access to health and AIDS prevention services. In Africa, homosexuality is a crime in more than 30 of the 54 countries on the continent.