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[But just 14 years for the
first offense – whew!]
Uganda Gays Face
Life in Jail Under Tough New Law
by Henry Austin
Feb. 24, 2014
Defying U.S. warnings,
Ugandan President Yoweir Museveni signed a tough new anti-gay bill that
toughens already strict legislation against homosexuals on Monday.
Life imprisonment could now
be on the table for anyone convicted of having gay sex, with first-time
offenders facing 14 years in jail, according to drafts of the report seen by
The Associated Press. The final bill has not been published.
It will also make it a crime
to promote gay activity, and to fail to report someone for breaking the new
law, again according to drafts.
A category of offenses called
"aggravated homosexuality," defined as repeated gay sex between
consenting adults as well as acts involving a minor, a disabled person or where
one partner is infected with HIV were also included when the bill was being
drawn up.
Museveni's signature will
please a staunchly conservative local constituency that is vehemently opposed
to homosexuality, but risks alienating Western aid donors.
President Barack Obama warned
it would complicate relations with Washington,
and called it a “step backward for Ugandans,” earlier this month.
"It's a gloomy day not
just for the gay community in Uganda but for all Ugandans who care about human
rights because this law will affect everybody," said Julian Peppe Onziema,
spokesman for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI)
community in Uganda told the Associated Press.
Reuters and The Associated
Press contributed to this report.
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