The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, promulgated this Monday (05.29.2023) a law against the LGBTI community that includes harsh penalties for having homosexual relations.
The law was approved on March 21 in Parliament, after Museveni asked parliamentarians to re-examine the text and urged them to specify that “being homosexual” is not a crime, but that relations between people are penalized. of the same sex.
Same-sex relationships were already illegal in Uganda, as well as in more than 30 African countries, but the new law goes much further.
It imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, which includes, for example, transmitting a terminal disease such as HIV/AIDS through gay sex or having relations with minors.
It also stipulates a 20-year sentence for “promoting” homosexuality. The amendment clarified that sexual orientation will not be a crime, but “acts”, which can be punished even with life imprisonment.
During its passage, this law was criticized by the United States, the European Union (EU) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, the measure enjoys broad public support in Uganda.
