Uganda: The Constitutional Court Rejects Petition To Overturn Anti-LGBTQ law.

Protest in London against Anti-LGBTQ law.

The People of Uganda reacted with mixed feelings after the country’s Constitutional Court upheld on Wednesday 3rd of April 2024 an anti-gay law that allows the death penalty for an “aggravated homosexuality”. The Ugandan court completely rejected the petitioners’ request to quash the law despite widespread condemnation from rights groups and others abroad. The Uganda law defines “aggravated homosexuality” as cases of homosexual relations involving a minor and other categories of vulnerable people, or when the perpetrator is infected with HIV.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on May last year signed into law the bill allowing death penalty for “Aggravated Homosexuality”.
This law is supported by majority in the East African country, where some see it as a behavior imported from foreign countries and not a sexual orientation.

According to the Constitutional Court judges, the law was legally passed by parliament and does not violate any part of their constitution. Under the colonial-era homosexuality was illegal in Uganda, criminalizing such sexual activity as “against the order of nature.” with the punishment for that offense as life imprisonment. Therefore a suspect convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” can be imprisoned for up to 14 years while the offense of “attempted homosexuality” is punishable by up to 10 years in Uganda.

Protest against Anti-LGBTQ in South Africa.

Although the court also, ruled that members of the gay community should not be discriminated against when seeking medication. The Republic of Uganda was one of the earliest and hardest hit by HIV AIDS, for this reasons public health experts have long warned against letting fear of punishment to avoid access to good health care and support.

Many Ugandans has expressed different opinions about this Wednesday constitutional court ruling. However the LGBTQI community swiftly condemned the court’s ruling, saying it will worsen their already frustrating situation. Additionally after the ruling the lawyers to the petitioners said that they will be heading to the Supreme Court of Uganda, with the hope they would overturn the law on human right bases despite that In more than 30 of African countries out of 54 homosexuality has been criminalized.

Source: www.oneinfoafrica.com