Washington, US | THE INDEPENDENT | US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said a constitutional court decision to uphold Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act will damage the country’s international reputation.
“The United States continues to be deeply concerned by reports of human rights abuses in Uganda, including against the LGBTQI+ community,” he said in a brief statement.
The Constitutional Court has today ruled that Uganda’s Anti Homosexuality law was properly passed by parliament and largely complies with the constitution. On May 26th 2023, the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni assented to the Anti Homosexuality Bill of 2023 thereby turning it into law.
The court however struck down a few provisions of the Anti Homosexuality Act, but left most of the law intact. The nullified sections had criminalised the letting of premises for use for homosexual purposes, the failure by anyone to report acts of homosexuality to the Police for appropriate action, and the engagement in acts of homosexuality by anyone which results into the other persons contracting a terminal illness.
The court said they considered the “uniqueness of Uganda’s Constitution which obliges the courts of law to take into account the country’s socio-cultural norms, values and aspirations when resolving any disputes before them.”
“The announcement that some provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Act have been removed by the Constitutional Court is a small and insufficient step towards safeguarding human rights,” Blinken stated.
“The remaining provisions of the AHA pose grave threats to the Ugandan people, especially LGBTQI+ Ugandans and their allies, undermine public health, clamp down on civic space, damage Uganda’s international reputation, and harm efforts to increase foreign investment. Uganda should respect the human dignity of all and provide equal protection to all individuals under the law.”
There is also need to bear in mind whether the law was democratically passed or not – democacy that I have heard the USA adheres to and calls upon all countries to respect. Ugandans have their cultural values. One society’s cultural values should not be trumped on for other counties’ cultural values some of which have hidden motives God save the world but at sometime this world might be lost forever through some of our human acts. We seen some countries contributing to new virus meant to extinguish some group of people such as it was the American Idians
Americans can’t speak about human rights violations in Gaza and yet they criticize our cultural norms. Homosexuality is an evil , what you are doing is wrong and you know that.
Homosexuality in African culture is a total abomination and has no right even to gloss over it in public.If you intend to be friends with Uganda,please do not mention homosexuality,because every African will despise you 100%!