(Headline USA) Joe Biden’s State Department announced it is imposing visa restrictions for Ugandans it accuses of “undermining the democratic process” in Uganda after the country passed an anti-sodomy law.
A statement from the State Department did not name any targeted individuals.
It said the U.S. will consider other possible actions “to promote accountability for Ugandan officials and other individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda.”
The State Department claimed these individuals were “abusing human rights, including those of LGBTQI+ persons.”
Uganda’s new law, adopted last month, punishes homosexuality, including with the death penalty in some radical cases.
The legislation has been widely condemned by sodomite activists, but it has wide support in Uganda.
Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under a law criminalizing it because it is “against the order of nature.”
The punishment for that offense is life imprisonment. Sodomy is criminalized in more than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries. Africans see it as behavior imported from abroad and not a sexual orientation.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
Copyright 2023. No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner. To inquire about licensing content, use the contact form at https://headlineusa.com/advertising.
AFRICA
A new anti-gay law in Uganda calls for life in prison for those who are convicted
By Jackie Northam, Halima Athumani, May 29, 2023
NPR – Uganda has passed one of the world’s toughest anti-gay laws that calls for life imprisonment for anyone convicted of homosexuality. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-homosexuality act on Monday despite widespread condemnation from many Western governments and human rights activists.
Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, a religiously conservative East African nation. But the new law levies harsher penalties for LGBTQ people.
It calls for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as same-sex relations involving HIV-positive people, children or other vulnerable people.
Anyone convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years. Ugandans who engages in gay sex can receive life in prison, while anyone who attempts to have same-sex relations can face 10 years in prison.
In a statement, President Biden called the newly passed law “shameful” and suggested it could impact U.S.-Uganda relations.
“I have directed my National Security Council to evaluate the implications of this law on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda,” he said, “Including our ability to safely deliver services under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other forms of assistance and investments.”
