Uganda Proposes Tough Penalties Against Homosexual Relations

The Ugandan Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill providing harsh penalties against homosexual relations, including the death penalty and life imprisonment.

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Only two of the 389 deputies opposed the bill, so it now goes to President Yoweri Museveni, who is responsible for signing it into law.

The measure prohibits same-sex sexual relations, the promotion and incitement of homosexuality, as well as conspiracy to practice homosexuality.

The bill uses the term "aggravated homosexuality" to refer to homosexual relations with minors under 18 years old or when the perpetrator is HIV positive. This is punishable by death under the proposed law, while life imprisonment is imposed for "recruitment, promotion and financing of homosexual activities."

Individuals who engage in homosexual activities or publicly identify as LGBTQ could face up to 10 years in prison in a country where same-sex relations are already illegal. 

The proposed bill "does not introduce any added value" to existing laws as it "reverses the progress made in the fight against gender-based violence and criminalizes individuals," said lawmaker Fox Odoi-Oyelowo, who opposed the measure. 

Ugandan LGBTQ rights advocate Frank Mugisha denounced the measure as "very extreme and draconian...it criminalizes being an LGBTQ person, but they are also trying to erase the entire existence of any LGBTQ Ugandan."

More than 30 African countries ban homosexuality, while Sudan, Nigeria, and Mauritania punish it with death in certain cases.