Uganda passes anti-LGBTQ law: harsh penalties planned

Dhe parliament in East Africa Uganda passed a law on Tuesday providing for harsh penalties for same-sex relationships. Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among said after the final vote “the law was passed in record time”. It must now be submitted to President Yoweri Museveni, who can either approve or veto it.

homosexuality is already banned in Uganda. It was initially not clear what penalties the new law provides for. MEPs had made significant changes to the original text. This provided up to ten years in prison for people who commit same-sex acts or identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ community. The abbreviation LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

The law has broad public support in Uganda. Conspiracy theories have been rife in recent months accusing international forces of promoting homosexuality in Uganda.

Arrests for “practicing homosexuality”

Last week, police in the southern city of Jinja announced they had arrested six men for “practicing homosexuality.” Another six men were arrested on Sunday on the same charge.

In 2014, the Ugandan judiciary blocked a law already approved by MPs and signed by President Museveni that punishes same-sex relationships with life imprisonment. The project sparked outrage around the world.

Uganda has strict laws against homosexuality that are a legacy of the British colonial era. Since gaining independence from Britain in 1962, there has been no conviction for consensual homosexual acts.