The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says that Uganda’s new anti-gay law violates the rights of bisexual, transgender, gay and lesbian (LGBT) persons. Ekklesia reports:
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says Uganda’s new anti-gay law is colonial and discriminatory.
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, declared on 27 December: “We are deeply concerned by the Anti-Homosexuality Bill passed by the Ugandan Parliament on Friday 20 December. If the bill becomes law, it would impose sentences of life imprisonment for consensual, same-sex relationships as well as prison sentences on those who ‘promote’ homosexuality.
“This law would have a detrimental effect not only on the fundamental rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of Ugandan society but also on the work of human rights defenders and efforts to address HIV/AIDS in the country. LGBT individuals in Uganda are a vulnerable and marginalised minority, already facing violence and discrimination. If signed by the President, this new law would reinforce stigma and prejudice, and institutionalise discrimination.