Up to 10 years in prison: Uganda passes strict law against homosexuality

Parliament President Annet Anita Among said after the final vote: “The law was passed in record time”. It must now be submitted to President Yoweri Museveni, who can approve or veto it.

Homosexuality is already banned in Uganda. It was initially not clear what penalties the new law provides for. Members of the European Parliament had made significant changes to the original text. This carried up to ten years in prison for people who commit same-sex acts or identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ community. The abbreviation LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

The law has broad public support in Uganda. Conspiracy theories have been rife in recent months, accusing international forces of promoting homosexuality in Uganda.

Twelve men arrested

Last week, police announced they had arrested six men in the southern city of Jinja for “practicing homosexuality”. Six more men were arrested on the same charge on Sunday.

In 2014, the Ugandan judiciary blocked a law already approved by MPs and signed by President Museveni that punishes same-sex relations with life imprisonment. The project sparked outrage around the world.

Uganda has strict laws against homosexuality that are a legacy of the British colonial era. Since independence from Britain in 1962, there has been no conviction for consensual homosexual acts. (sda/afp)