UGANDAN POLITICIANS passed an anti-gay law that punishes “aggravated homosexuality’ with life imprisonment as the maximum penalty.
It also makes it a crime punishable by a prison sentence not to report gay people.
The controversial bill was first introduced in 2010 and originally included the death penalty, which was removed from the amended version passed by parliament.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law that criminalised sexual acts “against the order of nature”, but David Bahati the Ugandan politician who wrote the law, said it was needed to prevent Western homosexuals of “recruiting” Ugandan children.
The law has created an outcry among activist groups and human rights organisations based in the UK, including gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
He said: “The new anti-gay law violates Article 21 of the Ugandan constitution and Articles 2 and 3 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights – both of which guarantee equal treatment and non-discrimination to all people.
“It is part of a broader attack on civil society and is symptomatic of Uganda’s drift to Mugabe-style authoritarianism.”
The director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation added: “This wider repression includes a clamp down on protests, strikes, the media and opposition activists.”
The bill also applies to holidaymakers and foreigners who visit the country.
A retired British man is awaiting trial in Entebbe on charges of possessing a gay sex video after thieves found images on his laptop, which were published in a newspaper.
Bernard Randall, 65, from Kent, faces a possible two-year prison sentence if found guilty. His trial has been adjourned until next year. – The Voice
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