Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, approved and signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The Bill was passed in the Parliament earlier this month and only one Member of Parliament was against it. It is one of the harshest hostile LGBTQ laws in the world.
Homosexuality, which was already illegal in Uganda, is now punishable by life imprisonment. For ‘aggravated cases’, including having homosexual sexual activities with someone below 18 years or people infected with a life-long illness including HIV, has death penalty as its punishment.
The US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), UNAids and the Global Fund released a joint statement, expressing their concern about the harmful effects of the newly approved law. The United Nations has warned that the procedure that Uganda utilises in dealing with HIV is in “grave jeopardy”. People are being discouraged from getting vital health care services because of the fear of attacks and punishment.
US President Joe Biden asserted the new law was a “tragic violation of universal human rights” and advised the nation to repeal the law soon. He also announced that Washington was considering the application of additional steps against anyone who is engaged in serious corruption of human rights, including “the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States”.