It guarantees heavier penalties up to the death penalty. Ugandan president approves anti-gay law, widespread Western condemnation

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has passed an anti-gay and transgender law providing severe penalties for same-sex relations or "promotion" of homosexuality, in a move that sparked a wave of condemnation from it.

The Ugandan presidency announced on its Twitter account on Monday that "the president signed the anti-homosexuality bill of 2023, and now it is the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023."

The vote in parliament on the bill on March 21 sparked widespread international outcry, and President Museveni later at the end of April asked parliamentarians to "reconsider" the text and in particular to clarify that "the fact of being gay" is not a crime, but only sexual relations is a crime.

In the marginally revised version, which was voted unanimously minus one on May 2, MPs included in the text that "a person who is presumed or suspected of being gay, and has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex, shall not have committed a homosexual misdemeanor."

The law provides, among other things, for the death penalty for homosexuals convicted of rape, sex with minors or persons with disabilities.

The penalty can be up to 20 years in prison for individuals or groups defending members of the LGBT community; the law stipulates that any party that "knowingly promotes homosexuality" faces up to 20 years in prison, whether a person or an organization, and if it is an organization it can be banned for 10 years.

Prior to the law, homosexuality was illegal and punishable by life imprisonment since a law dating back to the British colonial era.

U.S. condemnation

US President Joe Biden denounced the law as a serious human rights violation and threatened to cut aid and investment to the East African country, calling for the immediate repeal of new "draconian measures" in the law.

"The passage of Uganda's anti-homosexuality law represents a tragic violation of universal human rights," the US president said in a statement.

Biden went on to say that some Ugandans have already been fired from their homes or fired from their jobs, and now face long prison sentences, violence and abuse.

The president stressed that the U.S. Security Council will reassess the impact of the law on all aspects of U.S. engagement in Uganda, and in particular will study the U.S. Emergency AIDS Relief Plan (PEPFAR) and the Agua trade agreement, which guarantees Uganda duty-free access for thousands of goods to U.S. markets.

In addition, Biden said he was considering imposing sanctions and restrictions on entry to the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption.

According to the U.S. government, it invests nearly a billion dollars annually in Uganda.

EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell denounced the ratification of the law.

Borrell said on Twitter: "Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni's endorsement of the anti-homosexuality law is regrettable. "It is the duty of the Ugandan government to protect all its citizens and enforce respect for their fundamental rights, and if it does not do so, relations with international partners will be threatened," he said.

OHCHR in stupor

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday said it was "stunned" to see the "cruel and discriminatory" bill come into effect, saying it "contravenes the constitution and international treaties" and opens the way to "systematic violations of the rights of gay and transgender people".

Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Mitchell, said in a statement Monday that the "government of the United Kingdom", the former colonial power in Uganda that declared independence in 1962, was "deeply dismayed that the Ugandan government has signed the highly discriminatory anti-homosexual law."

The law "will increase the risk of violence, discrimination and persecution, lead to a decline in the fight against AIDS and tarnish Uganda's image on the international stage", he said, as well as "undermine the protection of the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution to all Ugandans".

Ashwani Bodo Schultz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, denounced the law as "discriminatory" and a "step in the wrong direction".

Amnesty International denounced the law as "repressive" and constitutes a "serious human rights attack".