By Mariselah Kimbio.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni yesterday assented to the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, which outlaws all LGBTQ+ practices in the country.
The act limits freedom of speech on LGBTQ+ civil rights and institutes severe punishments for certain homosexual acts, including the death penalty for persons convicted of aggravated homosexuality.
In 2014, the Ugandan parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which the Constitutional Court later nullified due to a lack of lawmaker quorum to vote on the bill.
The law prohibits people and media houses from publishing any homosexuality-related material.
The passing of this law sparked many reactions from the Ugandans and the world.
In a joint statement released yesterday, LGBTQ+ organizations vehemently opposed the decision, calling it a violation of International Human Rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human Rights.
Activists are seeking the denouncement of the law, assuring members of the LGBTQ+ community of their support. Some people have taken the government to court to challenge the new law.
U.S. President, Joe Biden, has also condemned the signing, stating that it could jeopardize critical economic growth for the country.
He terms it a tragic violation of universal human rights, adding that the U.S. is “considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption.”
Further reports allege that the Ugandan Parliament Speaker, Anita Among’s visa has been revoked.