With just a day to go, President Museveni must veto the vicious Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda, say human rights activists.
Both secular and religious campaigners have expressed horror at the Bill.
“This deeply offensive piece of legislation is an affront to the human rights of all Ugandans and should never have got this far,” said Gemma Houldey, Amnesty International’s Uganda Researcher.
“This legislation will institutionalise hatred and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Uganda. Its passage into law signals a very grave episode in the nation’s history.”
“The Anti-Homosexuality Bill will further criminalise consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex, with some offences carrying life imprisonment. It also includes offences such as ‘promotion of homosexuality’, which will directly impact human rights defenders and healthcare providers. It makes a mockery of the rights enshrined in the Ugandan constitution.”
Uganda has made important progress on human rights in recent years, including criminalising torture, say human rights groups, but this Bill is a giant step backwards.
President Museveni has until 23 February 2014 to sign, veto or amend the bill. If he does not act it will default into law.
* Analysis of the bill and Christian commentary on what is wrong about it from Ekklesia: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20164