Uganda overwhelmingly passes bill to impose 10-year prison sentence for same-sex relationships

Uganda is aiming to ban homosexual activity across the country as lawmakers passed a law providing for up to 10 years in prison for those who same-sex relationships.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives ordered a roll call to be held in front of a packed House of Representatives. capital Kampala, easily passed the bill late on the Tuesday after. Nearly all of the 389 legislators present supported the bill.

“Congratulations,” said speaker Anita Amin. “Whatever we do, we do it for the people of Uganda.”

The bill is now heading to the table of President Yoweri Museveni, who has also expressed his support. In a recent speech, Museveni accused Western countries of “trying to impose their practices on other people.”

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Gay Ugandan refugees who fled their country to neighboring Kenya return after shopping for food in Nairobi, Kenya, June 11, 2020.

Gay Ugandan refugees who fled their country to neighboring Kenya return after shopping for food in Nairobi, Kenya, June 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

The law was first introduced last month by its sponsor, who said its purpose was to punish “promotions, hiring and funding” associated with LGBTQ activities.

The bill would criminalize “attempted homosexuality” punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

It also establishes an offense called “homosexuality under aggravating circumstances”, which applies to sexual relations between HIV-positive, minors and other categories. His punishment is not immediately clear.

Same-sex relationships are already punishable by life imprisonment under a law against “carnal sex against the order of nature.”

And homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries.

Kenyan gays and lesbians and others who support their cause wear masks to maintain their anonymity in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 2.  10, 2014.

Kenyan gays and lesbians and others who support their cause wear masks to maintain their anonymity in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 2. 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The bill had its opposition.

Fox Odoi, the MP representing the dissenters, called it “ill-conceived” and said it was unconstitutional because it “criminalizes individuals, not behavior.”

Human Rights Watch described the law as a “more egregious version” of a similar law passed in 2014, which the court later invalidated on procedural grounds.

According to Human Rights Watch, if the law were signed, it “would violate several fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression and association, the right to privacy, equality and non-discrimination.”

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Oriem Nyeko, Human Rights Watch researcher in Uganda and Tanzania, also denounced the bill and called on legislatures to end persecution of the LGBT community.

“One of the most extreme features of this new bill is that it criminalizes people simply for who they are, and further infringes on the rights to privacy and freedom of expression and association that are already violated in Uganda,” said researcher. earlier this month. “Politicians in Uganda should focus on passing laws that protect vulnerable minorities and uphold fundamental rights and stop persecuting LGBT people for political capital.”

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A Ugandan man attends the third annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Celebration in Entebbe, Uganda, August 2.  9, 2014.

A Ugandan man attends the third annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Celebration in Entebbe, Uganda, August 2. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Rebecca Vassey)

Recent decision Anglican Church The recognition and observance of civil marriages of same-sex couples has also inflamed many people in the country.

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“The Church of England has moved away from the Anglican faith and is now a false teacher,” Ugandan Archbishop Stephen Kazimba said last month, calling the rise in same-sex relationships “a looming crisis.”

Many in Uganda, like the president, see homosexuality as a Western import.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.