Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni described homosexuals as “deviant” on Thursday and called for an investigation into this “outside the norm” behaviour, as parliament prepares to pass an anti-LGBT law .
“Homosexuals are a deviation from the norm. Why? Is it innate or learned? We need to answer these questions”said the head of state, who has led the country since 1986, in an address to the nation for parliamentarians.
“We need medical advice on this. We really need to discuss this.”he added in a speech boycotted by the opposition, with the exception of one deputy.
The bill, which was presented to a parliamentary committee in early March, proposes stiff penalties for people involved in same-sex relationships in a country where homosexuality is already illegal, drawing opposition from human rights groups.
The law provides for up to 10 years in prison for those who engage in homosexual activity or claim to be LGBT (an acronym meaning lesbian, “gay,” bisexual, and transgender).
The diploma should be discussed in parliament next week, with a vote likely as early as Tuesday.
It comes at a time when conspiracy theories on the subject abound on social media, accusing international forces of promoting homosexuality in Uganda.
“Western countries must stop wasting humanity’s time trying to force their practices on others”Museveni said.
The proposed bill strengthened existing prison sentences for same-sex sexual conduct and banned the “promotion of homosexuality”, but was overturned by a court on procedural grounds.
This is not the first time Uganda’s parliament has tried to criminalize homosexuality again since the 2014 law was overturned.
These attempts to criminalize homosexuality are always followed by periods of increasing repression of sexual minorities in Uganda, warns the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“In the space of five months since the passage of the 2013 anti-homosexuality law, LGBT people have experienced a remarkable increase in arbitrary arrests, police abuse and extortion, job losses, evictions and homelessness, and many people have fled the country”underlined in a statement.
According to Nyeko, a researcher at HRW, “It is an all too familiar tactic for the Ugandan government to target a vulnerable minority and divert attention from further repression of rights groups”.
“What the government is trying to do should raise alarm bells among civil society groups in Uganda and the international community, as it points to an increase in repression and the stifling of voices from the opposition and civil society groups in general”added the researcher.
Source: DN
