Uganda Arrests Man on Antigay Charge Punishable by Death
Ugandan prosecutors have lodged charges of “aggravated homosexuality” against a 20-year-old man — a crime punishable by death — in one of the country’s first applications of a provision included in one of the world’s harshest antigay laws.
Same-sex acts had long been considered illegal under Uganda’s penal code, but a law enacted this year introduced far harsher penalties and vastly extended the range of perceived offenses.
Its passage drew condemnation from human rights groups and the United Nations, and the Biden administration called it “one of the most extreme” antigay measures in the world.
The measure, signed into law in May, called for life in prison for anyone who engaged in gay sex and allowed the death penalty for what it labeled “aggravated homosexuality.” That category included same-sex relations with disabled people, who were defined very broadly.
