Uganda approves anti-homosexuality bill with death penalty

Atlanta, USA (CNN) — In a widely expected, yet deeply frightening move for Uganda’s LGBT community, President Yoweri Museveni has approved an anti-homosexuality bill, Uganda’s parliament and its speaker said Monday.

This law is set to be the harshest on the LGBT community in the world.

The draft law includes the application of the death penalty in relation to “aggravated homosexuality, such as having sex with a minor, or while a person is infected with AIDS or incest.”

The bill would criminalize LGBT sex education, make it illegal for LGBT suspects not to be presented to the police, and call for “rehabilitation” for gay people.

The president sent the bill back to parliament for review earlier this year, and the latest version of the bill was released this month.

The Ugandan president is already facing harsh criticism from Western governments, including the United States, for adopting the resolution.

Ugandan Parliament Speaker Anita Anette Among celebrated the signing of the bill, saying, “As the Parliament of Uganda, we have responded to the demands of our people,” according to a tweet she posted on her Twitter page.

“I humbly thank His Excellency the President for his tireless work in the interest of Uganda. I thank my fellow Members of Parliament for enduring all the pressure of bullies and doomsday conspiracy theorists for the benefit of the country,” Amongng added.

For his part, Henry Mukibe, an activist who helps members of the LGBT community in Uganda, told CNN: “I think this is very disgusting, we did not expect it, we expected that he would be advised not to agree to it, we would be tortured, I am now afraid of what will happen, people have waited For this draft resolution to be signed so that they start targeting us, we will die.”

Civil society groups are seeking ways to update this law.