Museveni “has signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023,” the Ugandan presidency announced in a brief statement.
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Criticized by the UN and countries such as the United States, the law was approved in Parliament on March 21. Lawmakers defended the rule, saying that these measures protect the national culture and its values.
The promulgation fueled the fears sparked in the first readings, during which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, described the text as “discriminatory”.
Today, the High Commissioner expressed his “dismay” at the enactment of this “draconian” legislation, highlighting that “it is contrary to the Constitution and international treaties” and that it paves the way for “systematic violations of the rights of LGBT people”.
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At the end of April, President Museveni asked parliamentarians to re-examine the text, to highlight that being homosexual is not a crime, but that same-sex relationships are criminalized.
The new version of the text states that identifying as gay will not be a crime, but “engaging in acts of homosexuality” is a crime that can be punished up to and including life in prison.
Although Museveni advised lawmakers to eliminate a provision that penalizes “aggravated homosexuality”, parliamentarians opted to maintain the article, which means that people considered repeat offenders could be sentenced to death.
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Although homosexuality has been criminalized in Uganda since the laws in force during colonization, since independence in 1962 there has never been a conviction for consensual sexual acts between people of the same sex.
The legislation has broad public support in Uganda, a predominantly Christian country, where people are very religious, and the LGBT+ community suffers a lot of discrimination.
The debate on the law in Parliament was marked by homophobic insults. The president himself referred to people who are attracted to others of the same sex as “perverts”.
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'Defending culture'
The President of Parliament, Anita Entre, celebrated, this Monday, the promulgation of the text.
“As the Parliament of Uganda, we take into account the concerns of our people and legislate to protect the sacred character of the family (…) We stand firm to defend the culture, values and aspirations of our people,” he said.
The law states that organizations accused of encouraging same-sex relationships can be banned for ten years.
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Reactions from civil society were muted, in a country where Museveni has ruled with an iron fist since 1986. Internationally, the bill provoked outrage.
After the first vote on March 21, the White House warned the Ugandan government of possible economic repercussions if the law went into effect. During its processing, this regulation was also condemned by the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom.
During its debate, the law was criticized by the NGO Amnesty International, which described it as “deeply repressive”. Other humanitarian organizations have also expressed their fears regarding the legislation.
“Uganda’s progress in its fight against HIV is seriously under threat.promehad,” three organizations, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said in a statement.
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