Uganda recently adopted one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws wherein even the punishment of death penalty is not amiss. This is receiving major global backlash from both internal and international front with the United States at the forefront. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that it is deeply troubling and the the US is contemplating restricting visas of some Ugandan officials after adopting this deeply troubling law.
Uganda recently adopted one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws wherein even the punishment of death penalty is not amiss. This aggressive decision taken by Uganda is receiving major global backlash and the United States is one of the main contenders in this. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that it is deeply troubling and further stated that the US is contemplating restricting visas of Ugandan officials after adopting this troubling law.
Shedding light on the tough law adopted in Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed one of the most anti-LGBTQ legislation in the entire globe, reports have stated.
Same-sex relationships have been outlawed in more than 30 African nations, including Uganda, but the new law goes even farther by including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons. It stipulates a 20-year term for “promoting” homosexuality as well as the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes engaging in gay intercourse when HIV-positive.
Authorities have admitted that after passing this law, the country, which receives billions of dollars in foreign aid annually, may be subjected to donor sanctions.
The US administration declared this month that it was examining how the new legislation might affect efforts in the country under its most important HIV/AIDS project.
A coalition of foreign businesses, including Google, opposed the legislation and warned that it would place businesses with operations in the nation in an untenable situation and harm the economy. The impact of this decision is abysmal and contemplation by the US about visa restrictions are a testament of this.
The stance of the US in this conundrum in Uganda
US President Joe Biden has denounced the bill as “a tragic violation of universal human rights” and has vowed to stop providing help and investments to the nation. Further, he also pleaded with Uganda to revoke the rule.
Western countries had once halted funding, put visa restrictions in place after passing of a less stringent anti-LGBTQ bill from 2014 which was then overturned by a local court. However, this time it appears that Ugandan officials have moved forward, overlooking the past.
Blinken also issued a statement in which he claimed that the US will “consider deploying existing visa restrictions tools against Ugandan officials for abuse of universal human rights, including the rights of LGBTQI+ persons.”
“Uganda’s failure to safeguard the fundamental liberties of LGBTQI+ persons is part of a broader deterioration of protections for human rights which puts Ugandan citizens in jeopardy and affects the nation’s standing as a destination for development, investment, tourism, and refugees,” said Blinken.
Uganda’s oscillating future ahead
Internal backlash and expressions of unhappiness in respect to this decision are also in prominence.
In an announcement, a rights organization said that the act was “blatantly unlawful” and it has filed a legal challenge with Uganda’s High Court.
According to Jjuuko, executive director of the Human Rights Awareness Forum, “by criminalizing what we call mutually agreed upon same-sex act among grownups, this law goes against significant sections of the constitutional framework”
UNAIDS stated that the initiatives to eradicate AIDS, which were founded on the idea of universal access to healthcare, had Uganda and President Museveni at the forefront. However, this bill would make it more difficult for LGBTQ+ people to access healthcare, thus placing them in “grave jeopardy.”
On the international front, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and LGBTQ organizations all voiced dismay at the law’s passage on a global scale along with the US.
With these new developments taking place, it remains to be seen whether the government will revoke the law considering the internal and international backlash or whether it will forge ahead undeterred while a section of society lives in marginalization. Only time will tell.