Uganda lawmakers pass new draft of harsh anti-gay bill
rfi.frdraft law to clarify that identifying as gay would not be criminalised, but "engaging in acts of homosexuality" would be an offence punishable with life imprisonment.Although Museveni had advised lawmakers to delete a provision making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offence, lawmakers rejected that move, meaning that repeat offenders could be sentenced to death.Uganda has not resorted to capital punishment for many years.The revamped bill says that "a person who is believed or alleged or suspected of being a homosexual, who has not committed a sexual act with another person of the same sex, does not commit the offence of homosexuality".The earlier version also required Ugandans to report suspected homosexual activity to the police or face six months imprisonment.Lawmakers agreed to amend that provision on Tuesday after Museveni last month said it risked creating "conflicts in society."Instead, the reporting requirement now pertains only to suspected sexual offences against children and vulnerable people, with the penalty raised to five years in jail.According to the new draft, anyone who "knowingly promotes homosexuality" faces up to 20 years in jail – a provision left unchanged from the original bill.Organisations found guilty of encouraging same-sex activity could face a 10-year ban.Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a leading gay rights organisation whose operations were suspended by the authorities last year, said the passage of the bill posed a grave risk to LGBTQI+ people."There's a contradiction because the legislation says you can be gay but you shouldn't say anything about it," he told AFP.Furthermore, the near-unanimous approval of the bill by lawmakers "shows you how extreme.
