Ugandan president signs anti-LGBTQ+ law with death penalty for same-sex acts

[Eugene]

Also: Outcry as Uganda's anti-gay bill signed into law (Agence France-Presse)

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Source: The Guardian

Ugandan president signs anti-LGBTQ+ law with death penalty for same-sex acts

Global outcry over Museveni’s assent to draconian new anti-gay law, condemned as a ‘permission slip for hate and dehumanisation’

Samuel Okiror in Kampala
Mon 29 May 2023 13.44 BST
Last modified on Mon 29 May 2023 15.53 BST

Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, has signed into law the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ bill, which allows the death penalty for homosexual acts. The move immediately drew widespread international outrage as well as condemnation from many Ugandans.

Early on Monday, the speaker of the Ugandan parliament, Anita Annet Among, released a statement on social media confirming Museveni had assented to the law first passed by MPs in March. It imposes the death penalty or life imprisonment for certain same-sex acts, up to 20 years in prison for “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities”, and anyone convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” faces a 14-year sentence.

The bill, described by the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, as “shocking and discriminatory”, was passed by all but two of the 389 MPs on 21 March. Museveni had 30 days to either sign the legislation into law, return it to parliament for revisions or veto it. He sent it back to MPs in April, with a request for reconsideration. The bill would have still become law without the president’s assent if he returned it a second time.

But Among tweeted on Monday morning: “The president … has assented to the Anti-Homosexuality Act. As the parliament of Uganda, we have answered the cries of our people. We have legislated to protect the sanctity of [the] family.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/may/29/ugandan-president-yoweri-museveni-anti-lgbtq-bill-death-penalty

No-registration link: https://archive.is/LANC7

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Source: Agence France-Presse

Outcry as Uganda's anti-gay bill signed into law

Mon, May 29, 2023 at 8:58 AM EDT

Uganda announced Monday that President Yoweri Museveni had signed into law draconian new measures against homosexuality described as among the world's harshest, prompting condemnation from human rights and LGBQT groups.

The passage of the anti-gay bill comes despite warnings from Uganda's international partners, including close ally the United States, of repercussions should the controversial proposal become law.

Museveni "assented to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023. It now becomes the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023," a statement posted on the presidency's official Twitter account said, accompanied by an image of the veteran leader signing a document.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/ugandas-president-signs-anti-gay-092842783.html

[Chi67]

1. Terrifying

This is unbelievable. How can people be so terrible?

[Backseat Driver]

2. Wasn't ALL of Africa supposed to be dead or dying from HIV by this time?

Safe sex contraception and newer cocktail/medications may not be readily available to the poor, so trying to keep the population safer from that (HIV) alone might prompt the uninformed to make laws with stiff penalties, but state criminal murders (and sometimes it's not exactly an expression of love - aggression, rape, then there's prostitution for need or promiscuity - same sex or not) - SMH at the cruelty, willful ignorance, and christofacist hate. Or has that problem been fully rectified in some other way?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Statement from President Joe Biden on the Enactment of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act

Uganda needs to be sanctioned for this act

Link to tweet

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/29/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-enactment-of-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-act/

The enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rights—one that is not worthy of the Ugandan people, and one that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth for the entire country. I join with people around the world—including many in Uganda—in calling for its immediate repeal. No one should have to live in constant fear for their life or being subjected to violence and discrimination. It is wrong.

Since the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced, reports of violence and discrimination targeting Ugandans who are or are perceived to be LGBTQI+ are on the rise. Innocent Ugandans now fear going to hospitals, clinics, or other establishments to receive life-saving medical care lest they be targeted by hateful reprisals. Some have been evicted from their homes or fired from their jobs. And the prospect of graver threats—including lengthy prison sentences, violence, abuse—threatens any number of Ugandans who want nothing more than to live their lives in safety and freedom.

This shameful Act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda. The dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to everyone residing in Uganda, including U.S. government personnel, the staff of our implementing partners, tourists, members of the business community, and others. As such, I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda, including our ability to safely deliver services under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other forms of assistance and investments. My Administration will also incorporate the impacts of the law into our review of Uganda’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). And we are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption.

The United States shares a deep and committed partnership with the people of Uganda. For more than 60 years, we have worked together to help millions of Ugandans live healthier, more productive lives.

Our programs have boosted economic growth and agricultural productivity, increased investments in Ugandan businesses, and strengthened our trade cooperation. In total, the U.S. Government invests nearly $1 billion annually in Uganda’s people, business, institutions, and military to advance our common agenda. The scale of our commitments speaks to the value we place on this partnership—and our faith in the people of Uganda to build for themselves a better future. It is my sincere hope that we can continue to build on this progress, together, and strengthen protections for the human rights of people everywhere.

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