New anti-gay legislation that could mean the death penalty in some cases has been signed into law in Uganda, amid outcry by LGBT charities.
The version of the bill signed by President Yoweri Museveni doesn’t criminalise those who identify as LGBTQ, which had been a key concern for campaigners who condemned an earlier draft of the legislation as an egregious attack on human rights.
But the new law still prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving people infected with HIV as well as with minors and other categories of vulnerable people.
A suspect convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years, according to the legislation.
Parliamentary Speaker Anita Among said in a statement that the president had “answered the cries of our people” in signing the bill.
“With a lot of humility, I thank my colleagues the members of parliament for withstanding all the pressure from bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists in the interest of our country,” the statement said.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda and the country has some of the strictest punishments. It is one of more than 30 African countries where it is criminalised.
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The US has warned of economic consequences over legislation described by Amnesty International as “draconian and overly broad”.
The leaders of the UN AIDS program, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund in a joint statement Monday said they “are deeply concerned about the harmful impact” of the legislation on public health and the HIV response.
“Uganda’s progress on its HIV response is now in grave jeopardy,” the statement said.
