Uganda lawmakers amend ntroversial anti-gay law but ath penalty remas | CNN

Contents:

• UGANDA PASSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S HARSHT ANTI-GAY LAWS. LGBTQ PEOPLE SCRIBE LIVG THERE AS ‘HELL’
• UGANDA LAWMAKERS AMEND NTROVERSIAL ANTI-GAY LAW BUT ATH PENALTY FOR HIV POSIVE SEX REMAS
• UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
• WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• A NEW ANTI-GAY LAW UGANDA LLS FOR LIFE PRISON FOR THOSE WHO ARE NVICTED

UGANDA PASSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S HARSHT ANTI-GAY LAWS. LGBTQ PEOPLE SCRIBE LIVG THERE AS ‘HELL’

KAMPALA, March 21 (Rters) - Uganda's parliament passed a law on Tuday makg a crime to intify as LGBTQ, handg thori broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimatn and mob than 30 Ain untri, cludg Uganda, already ban same-sex relatns. The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely intifyg as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ), acrdg to rights group Human Rights Watch. Supporters of the new law say is need to punish a broar array of LGBTQ activi, which they say threaten tradnal valu the nservative and relig East Ain addn to same-sex terurse, the law bans promotg and abettg homosexualy as well as nspiracy to engage homosexualy.

[1/4]Bugiri Municipaly Member of Parliament Asuman Basalirwa, addrs the hoe as he participat the bate of the Anti-Homosexualy bill, which propos tough new penalti for same-sex relatns durg a stg at the Parliament buildgs Kampala, Uganda March 21, 2023.... Meveni has not mented on the current proposal but he has long opposed LGBTQ rights and signed an anti-LGBTQ law 2013 that Wtern untri nmned before a domtic urt stck down on procral recent weeks, Uganda thori have cracked down on LGBTQ people after relig lears and policians alleged stunts were beg reced to homosexualy month, thori arrted a sendary school teacher the eastern district of Jja over accatns of "groomg of young girls to unnatural sex practic" was subsequently charged wh gross cency and is prison awag police said on Monday they had arrted six people acced of nng a work that was "actively volved the groomg of young boys to acts of sodomy".

UGANDA LAWMAKERS AMEND NTROVERSIAL ANTI-GAY LAW BUT ATH PENALTY FOR HIV POSIVE SEX REMAS

SummaryCompaniLaw punish 'aggravated homosexualy' wh athWispread nmnatn om WtLGBTQ activists vow urt challengeKAMPALA, May 29 (Rters) - Uganda's Print Yoweri Meveni signed one of the world's tought anti-LGBTQ laws, cludg the ath penalty for "aggravated homosexualy", drawg Wtern nmnatn and riskg sanctns om aid relatns were already illegal Uganda, as more than 30 Ain untri, but the new law go stipulat pal punishment for "serial offenrs" agast the law and transmissn of a termal illns like HIV/AIDS through gay sex. "The Ugandan print has today legalised state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia, " said Clare Byagaba, a Ugandan rights Stat Print Joe Bin lled the move "a tragic vlatn" of human rights and said Washgton would evaluate the implitns of the law "on all aspects of U. Existg Ugandan law lls for a maximum 10-year sentence for tentnally transmtg HIV and do not apply when the person who ntracted the fectn was aware of their sexual partner's HIV ntrast, the new law mak no distctn between tentnal and untentnal transmissn and ntas no exceptn based on awarens of HIV amend versn of the bill, adopted earlier this month after Meveni returned to parliament, stipulated that merely intifyg as LGBTQ is not a crime and revised a measure that obliged people to report homosexual activy to only require reportg when a child is volved.

A ls rtrictive 2014 anti-LGBTQ law was stck down by a Ugandan urt on procral grounds, after Wtern ernments had ially spend some aid, imposed visa rtrictns and curtailed secury 2009, a bill dubbed "kill the gays" for ially proposg executg homosexuals was troduced after a nference Kampala drew reprentativ om the Uned Stat cludg proment anti-gay evangelil Stt well as relig mpaigng, Ai's anti-LGBTQ attus also have their roots the lonial era, cludg an anti-sodomy sectn of Bra's penal . The act outlaws gay marriage Uganda, punish same-sex acts wh life imprisonment, and lls for the ath penalty for “aggravated homosexualy” – which clus sex wh a mor or otherwise vulnerable person, havg sex while HIV posive and ct. In recent weeks, disturbg vios have surfaced showg mountg hostily towards lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and tersex dividuals Uganda sce the retroductn of the Anti-Homosexualy Bill.

UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?

The new law stat that “a person who promot homosexualy ms an offense and is liable, on nvictn, to imprisonment for a perd not exceedg twenty years. On Meveni’s remendatn, the law prcrib rehabilatn for nvicted homosexuals to change their sexual orientatn, even though scientists say so-lled nversn therapy is harmful and effective. Ugandan lawmakers, who overwhelmgly supported the bill, railed agast the supposed “recment” of young people to homosexualy, pedophilia and groomg.

It is the st of ntug to operate a nservative Ugandan society where homophobic msagg emanat everywhere om church and mosqu to the hight polil offic, Amek said. The Church of Uganda openly fied the Archbishop of Canterbury, Jt Welby, and supported the Anti-Homosexualy Act, accg the global head of the Anglin Church of misterpretg the Bible.

The Anti-Homosexualy Act of 2023 is a revival of a prev versn nicknamed the “Kill the Gays” Bill that Uganda’s parliament passed 2014 but which was blocked urt on a technily.

WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

The bill, however, retas s more extreme elements, cludg the ath penalty for “aggravated homosexualy, ” which clus sex wh a mor, havg sex while HIV posive and ct. Only one lawmaker, legislator Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, spoke out agast the Anti-Homosexualy Bill 2023 Parliament on Tuday, scribg as a breach of human rights.

* In 2017, Chad crimalised same-sex acts what the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA) lled "a worryg example of legal regrsn the regn".

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuday approved some of the world’s harsht anti-gay laws, makg some crim punishable by ath and imposg up to 20 years prison for people intifyg as LGBTQ+. Acrdg to the bill, the ath penalty n be voked for s volvg “aggravated homosexualy” – a broad term ed the legislatn to scribe sex acts mted whout nsent or unr durs, agast children, people wh mental or physil disabili, by a “serial offenr, ” or volvg ct. “A person who ms the offense of aggravated homosexualy and is liable, on nvictn to suffer ath, ” read the amendments, which were prented by the chairperson for legal and parliamentary affairs Roba Rwakoojo.

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

Opposn lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa troduced the Anti Homosexualy Bill 2023 to parliament, sayg aims to “protect our church culture; the legal, relig and tradnal fay valu of Ugandans om the acts that are likely to promote sexual promiscuy this untry.

The broad terms which talks about promotg homosexualy n be terpreted to mean anythg, " said Nicholas Opiyo, a human rights activist and one of the lawyers a petn challengg the law's nstutnaly. In 2004, regulators fed a rad statn US$1, 000 for pictg homosexualy as an "acceptable way of life" and 2007, a rad show host was spend after terviewg a lbian activist.

A NEW ANTI-GAY LAW UGANDA LLS FOR LIFE PRISON FOR THOSE WHO ARE NVICTED

A broadst reporter based eastern Uganda feels empowered to vtigate sexual crim by a sectn of the law requirg the public to report "reasonable spicn" of the "offense of homosexualy, " the reporter told CPJ. The broad terms which talks about promotg homosexualy n be terpreted to mean anythg, ” said Nicholas Opiyo, a human rights activist and one of the lawyers a petn challengg the law’s nstutnaly. In 2004, regulators fed a rad statn US$1, 000 for pictg homosexualy as an “acceptable way of life” and 2007, a rad show host was spend after terviewg a lbian activist.

A broadst reporter based eastern Uganda feels empowered to vtigate sexual crim by a sectn of the law requirg the public to report “reasonable spicn” of the “offense of homosexualy, ” the reporter told CPJ. In the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ Peter Kaluma's move after neighbourg Uganda adopted a tough new anti-gay law, rejectg threats by US Print Joe Bin to impose sanctns and travel rtrictns on "anyone volved ser human rights ab" I met Mr Kaluma - a member of veteran Kenyan opposn polician Raila Odga's Orange Democratic Movement - he was stg behd his sk at his office the pal Nairobi, proof-readg and makg rrectns to a bill that he tends to table parliament soon. "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law.