Last Tuesday, the Ugandan parliament passed a law that imposes sentences of up to 10 years in prison for people who perform homosexual acts. The law, which still needs to be sanctioned by President Yoweri Museveni, provides for punishments for those who claim to be part of the LGBT+ community or perform acts considered homosexual, in a country where homosexuality is illegal.
The initial text of this law contemplated life imprisonment for those who had homosexual relations, therefore, it was necessary to make important changes.
For her part, the president of the Chamber, Annet Anita Among, announced the result of the vote, stressing that “the law was adopted in record time.”
The vote comes at a time when homophobia is on the rise in East Africa, where homosexuality is illegal and often considered a crime. President Museveni called gay people “deviant” last week and Ugandan police arrested six people for “homosexual practice” a few days later.
Uganda has strict anti-homosexuality legislation, inherited from British colonial laws. Despite this, since the country’s independence in 1962, there have been no convictions for consensual same-sex sexual practices. In 2014, an attempt was made to pass a law providing for life imprisonment for this type of relationship, but it was ultimately blocked by the Ugandan courts.
The approval of this law has generated concern in the international community and among human rights defenders, who have condemned the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity.