The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared this Monday “appalled” by the approval of a new law against homosexuality in Uganda, which provides for long prison terms and the death penalty for certain crimes.
“We are shocked that this draconian, discriminatory and anti-gay bill has become law,” the office headed by UN High Commissioner Volker Türk said on its official Twitter account.
#Uganda: We are shocked that the draconian and discriminatory anti-gay bill is now law. It is a recipe for systematic violations of the rights of LGBT people and the general population. It conflicts with the Constitution and international treaties and requires judicial urgency… pic.twitter.com/cD7Gnwap95
– UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) May 29, 2023
“It is a recipe for future systematic violations of LGBTQ people and the general population, creating a conflict with the Constitution and international treaties, and an urgent judicial review must be carried out,” added the cabinet, which had already condemned the bill. law.
The new legislation was also condemned by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) which, in a joint statement with other international health organizations, expressed deep concern about the implications of the new legislation.
The law will “hinder the necessary health education and commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat,” the statement said, noting that LGBTQ people have already been stigmatized during months of debate around the law, which has limited their access to care. and treatment
“The Ugandan community increasingly fears for their safety and increasing numbers of people are discouraged from seeking health services for fear of being attacked, punished or even further marginalized,” laments the joint statement.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni approved legislation on Monday confirming the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” (a broad term used to designate intimate relationships with a minor or other vulnerable groups).
In addition, anyone who “knowingly promotes homosexuality” can be sentenced to up to twenty years in prison, a provision that was not changed from the original bill.
The legislation was also heavily criticized by the European Union and the United States, as well as by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International.
Uganda currently has a 1950 law in force – the country became independent from the United Kingdom in 1962 – which penalizes intimate relationships between people of the same sex with penalties that can reach life imprisonment, although it is not usually applied.
Source: TSF
