Ugandan gay rights activists are urging the international community to increase pressure on the government to repeal an anti-gay law that was upheld by the country’s Constitutional Court. The law allows for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and up to 14 years in prison for those convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality.” Activist Frank Mugisha called the ruling “wrong and deplorable” and called for restrictions on donor funding to Uganda in response.
President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law last year, which has been supported by many in Uganda but condemned by rights groups and others around the world. Despite the court ordering that LGBT individuals should not be discriminated against when seeking medicine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed this concession as a “small and insufficient step towards safeguarding human rights.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed disappointment at the court’s decision, stating that it poses threats to the Ugandan people, especially LGBTQI+ Ugandans, and could harm efforts to increase foreign investment. The Biden administration is assessing the implications of the Anti-Homosexuality Act on U.S. engagement with the Ugandan government and has already taken actions such as sanctions, visa restrictions, and reduced support for the government in response to the ruling.
A Ugandan human rights advocate, Nicholas Opiyo, who was a petitioner in the case, expressed his disagreement with the court’s findings, stating that they were reached based on public sentiments and vague cultural values arguments rather than the defense of human rights. Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law that criminalizes sexual activity “against the order of nature,” with a punishment of life imprisonment for that offense.
The international community continues to condemn Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and is calling for the repeal of the law to ensure the protection of human rights, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community in the country. The U.S. government, along with other partners around the world, is taking action against human rights abuses in Uganda and holding individuals and entities accountable for perpetrating such abuses. The situation in Uganda highlights the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and the importance of international pressure to uphold human rights standards.
