Uganda Faces Backlash Over Bill Punishing 'Aggravated Homosexuality' With Death

Provisions in the new bill allow for death penalty in cases of what the government terms “aggravated homosexuality” used to describe actions including having gay sex when positive for HIV. 

Kendall Martinez-Right, with Treatment Action Group, speaks during a protest outside the Ugandan Embassy over the Uganda's parliamentary Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023

Source : Getty Images

Uganda’s Parliament on Tuesday passed one of the world's strictest anti-LGBTQ bills mostly unchanged after the president requested some parts of the legislation, which includes provision for long jail terms and death penalty, to be toned down. As per a report by Reuters, the provisions retained in the new bill allow for death penalty in cases of what the government terms “aggravated homosexuality” used to describe actions including having gay sex when positive for HIV. 

The bill allows sentence upto 20 years for those promoting homosexuality which activists say could criminalise any advocacy for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer citizens, as per the report. 

The new legislation has been sent to President Yoweri Museveni who has the discretion to sign it, veto it, or return again to the parliament and as per the report, the vocal opponent of LGBTQ rights, has signalled he intends to sign the legislation once certain changes are made, including the addition of measures to "rehabilitate" gay people.

Although, it was not immediately clear if the new bill satisfied his requests, and his office was not available for comment. 

The new bill has drawn condemnation from the United States, European Union, United Nations and major corporations. 

Adrian Jjuuko, a human rights activist, dismissed the first amendment regarding LGBTQ identification as "useless".

"In practice, the police doesn't care about whether you've committed the act or not. They will arrest you for acting like gay, walking like gay," he said, he was quoted as saying. 

Under a British colonial-era law, same-sex relations are already illegal in Uganda and individuals from the LGBTQ community routinely face arrest and harrasment by the law enforcement.