{"id":26831,"date":"2023-12-19T06:42:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T11:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=26831"},"modified":"2023-12-19T06:42:50","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T11:42:50","slug":"ugandas-anti-homosexuality-act-challenged-in-constitutional-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/12\/19\/ugandas-anti-homosexuality-act-challenged-in-constitutional-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act challenged in Constitutional Court"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the world’s harshest anti-homosexuality laws is being challenged in the Ugandan courts by rights groups.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The law has caused global outrage, with the World Bank halting new loans to Uganda and the US imposing visa restrictions on key officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Anyone convicted of being involved in homosexual acts face life imprisonment under the law which was enacted in May.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Rights groups have asked judges to annul the law, arguing that it violated the right to equality and dignity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The government is defending the case in the Constitutional Court, saying the law protects traditional family values.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Known as the Anti-Homosexuality Act, the law imposes the death penalty for so-called “aggravated” cases, which include having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness such as HIV.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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An overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted for it in parliament, and it came into effect after President Yoweri Museveni approved it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In August, a 20-year-old was the first to be charged with “aggravated homosexuality” after being accused of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 41-year-old.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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No further details were given of the case, which was expected to be heard in the High Court as it involved an alleged capital offence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Uganda has not carried out an execution since 2005.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A recent report by rights groups said that more than 300 human rights abuses have been recorded against LGBTQ+ people in Uganda in the first eight months of this year – including beatings, torture, arrests and evictions from homes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The US has responded to the legislation by saying that Ugandan goods will stop receiving preferential access to its markets from next year because of its human rights record.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Uganda’s government has remained defiant, saying it will not bow to foreign pressure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Many people in Uganda are socially conservative, and support the legislation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More on LGBT issues in Africa:<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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