By Chris Muhizi Minembwe Capital News Tuesday 30th/ may/2023.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden denounced Uganda’s harsh new anti-homosexuality law as a serious breach of human rights and threatened to withhold aid and investment from the East African nation.
As for the law’s implications for “all aspects of US engagement with Uganda,” including programs that provide AIDS relief, other assistance, and investments, Biden said he has urged his National Security Council to do so.
He demanded that the stringent new laws, which among other things make “engaging in acts of homosexuality” a crime punishable by life in jail, be immediately repealed.
Biden joined the chorus of outrage after President Yoweri Museveni signed Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, saying in a statement, “The enactment of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human rights.”
Blinken said in a statement that “Uganda’s failure to protect the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons is part of a broader degradation of human rights protections that puts Ugandan citizens at risk.”
He stated that the administration will also take into account imposing sanctions on Uganda and limiting the entry of those involved in human rights violations or corruption there into the US.
The idea of visa restrictions was once again raised by Blinken, who also declared that the US State Department will “develop mechanisms to support the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda and to promote accountability for Ugandan officials” indulging in violations of human rights.
Anita Among, the speaker of the house, applauded President Museveni for his decision to sign the legislation into law, claiming that it will “protect the sanctity of the family.”
In a message shared on Twitter, she continued, “We have stood strong to defend the culture, values, and aspirations of our people.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill’s proponent, Ugandan politician said “It does not concern anybody if two adults are having gay sex in secret. Even though, the law does not search for people who are acting unlawfully in public.
But the issue arises when you try to do it in public and then you get help from others to carry out your plan.
Additionally, the legislator informed reporters that the US had already sanctioned the Ugandan speaker Among to not get a Visa over the new imposed law.