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Ugandan MPs rush through draconian laws against homosexuality
Source: The Guardian
Ugandan MPs rush through draconian laws against homosexuality
David Smith, Africa correspondent
The Guardian, Friday 20 December 2013 18.39 GMT
Gay rights activists have reacted angrily to the Ugandan parliament's abrupt decision to pass anti-homosexuality laws that would condemn same-sex couples to life in jail for mere touching, urging president Yoweri Museveni to veto them.
The bill, rushed through by MPs on Friday, also bans the promotion of homosexuality and makes it a crime punishable by prison not to report gay people to the authorities or to conduct a marriage ceremony for same-sex couples. The law was first introduced in 2009, when it advocated the death penalty, but after a worldwide outcry, that was removed from the final version.
"This is victory for Uganda," David Bahati, the MP who proposed the bill, was quoted as saying in media reports. "I am glad the parliament has voted against evil. Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks."
The bill was reportedly tabled without prior notice. It was opposed by Ugandan prime minister Amama Mbabazi, who argued that not enough MPs were present for a quorum, a challenge that might yet discourage Museveni from signing the bill into law. The threat of a withdrawal of western aid could also play into his decision.
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David Smith, Africa correspondent
The Guardian, Friday 20 December 2013 18.39 GMT
Gay rights activists have reacted angrily to the Ugandan parliament's abrupt decision to pass anti-homosexuality laws that would condemn same-sex couples to life in jail for mere touching, urging president Yoweri Museveni to veto them.
The bill, rushed through by MPs on Friday, also bans the promotion of homosexuality and makes it a crime punishable by prison not to report gay people to the authorities or to conduct a marriage ceremony for same-sex couples. The law was first introduced in 2009, when it advocated the death penalty, but after a worldwide outcry, that was removed from the final version.
"This is victory for Uganda," David Bahati, the MP who proposed the bill, was quoted as saying in media reports. "I am glad the parliament has voted against evil. Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks."
The bill was reportedly tabled without prior notice. It was opposed by Ugandan prime minister Amama Mbabazi, who argued that not enough MPs were present for a quorum, a challenge that might yet discourage Museveni from signing the bill into law. The threat of a withdrawal of western aid could also play into his decision.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/uganda-mps-laws-homosexuality
6 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Life in prison for touching??? 
