Uganda's parliament passes draft of tough anti-gay bill

Lawmakers in Uganda on Tuesday voted through one of the world's strictest pieces of anti-LGBT+ legislation after an amendment that toned down some of the original legislation.

Provisions included in the bill even allow for the death penalty in cases of so-called "aggravated homosexuality."

What changes were made?

President Yoweri Museveni — a vocal opponent of rights for the LGBT+ community — had asked that certain provisions from the original legislation be relaxed.

At his request, politicians amended the law to clarify that identifying as gay would not be criminalized, but "engaging in acts of homosexuality" could be punished with life imprisonment.

Museveni also called for the bill to include a way to facilitate the so-called "rehabilitation" of people who say they will no longer engage in physical relationships with the same sex. 

Museveni had urged lawmakers to delete a provision that makes "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offense, but they rejected the move.

That means that people found guilty of repeat offenses could fact execution. The term also describes actions that include having gay sex when HIV-positive.

The earlier draft also required Ugandans to report suspected same-sex activity to the police or face six months imprisonment.

The reporting requirement now relates only to suspected sexual offences against children and vulnerable people, with a raised tariff of five years imprisonment.

The legislation includes potential jail terms of up to 20 years for "promoting" same sex relationships and 10-year bans for organizations found guilty of encouraging them.

Activists say the law would criminalize any advocacy for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens.

Pressure from EU and US

Only one lawmaker in Uganda's parliament on Tuesday opposed the bill, which has been criticized by the United States and the European Union among others.

"The bill passed," parliamentary speaker Annet Anita Among said. "We have a culture to protect. The Western world will not come to rule Uganda," she said.

Homosexuality was first criminalized in Uganda under British colonial-era laws. However, there has never been a conviction for consensual same-sex activity since the country gained independence in 1962.

The anti-gay legislation enjoys broad public support in Uganda, with opposition muted after years of Museveni's increasingly authoritarian rule. Its supporters argue that the country's traditional family values are under threat.

The European Parliament voted to condemn the bill last month and it asked EU states to pressure Museveni into not implementing the legislation.

Even if the president were to veto the legislation by not signing it into law, parliament could override that with a two-thirds supermajority.

Washington has also warned the Ugandan government that there could be possible economic repercussions if the law takes effect.

rc/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP)