European Parliament Condemns Uganda’s Anti-Gay Bill
The European Parliament has condemned Uganda’s anti-gay law, which President Museveni returned to the House of Representatives last week for further review.
In a statement released on April 20, European lawmakers voiced grave concerns regarding the discrimination and persecution of homosexuals should the Act become law, and urged President Museveni not to sign it.
The lawmakers then urged the European Commission to employ all diplomatic, legal, and financial means necessary to persuade Mr. Museveni not to accept the law.
“…Calls on Uganda President Yoweri Museveni not to promulgate the Bill and to categorically refuse to give assent to any similar initiative in the future, discouraging further attempts in this direction; urges the Uganda authorities to promote tolerance, acceptance, and respect for human rights and to review any law criminalizing homosexuality,” the statement reads in part.
“Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service to use all diplomatic, legal, and financial means at their disposal to persuade the Ugandan President not to sign the bill passed by the Ugandan parliament; further calls on the EU to make full and effective use of political dialogue…” The statement continues.
In the future, the European Parliament has warned that should the anti-homosexuality bill become law, they will request Everything But Arms (EBA) preferences for Uganda by Article 19 of the EU Regulation.
In addition, they threaten to target and impose sanctions on all those who initiated and supported the anti-gay bill, including politicians and religious leaders.
Last month’s resounding passage of the bill by the legislature has since drawn both praise and criticism from the local and international communities.
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The law imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality and up to 20 years in prison for homosexual acts, promoting homosexuality, child grooming, and homosexual promotion.
Key partners, including the United Nations and the United States, as well as local and international human rights organizations, have described the same Bill as discriminatory and regressive, urging President Museveni not to sign it.
Equally, the Uganda Law Society stated in their recently published quarterly rule of law report that the anti-gay legislation replicates existing provisions before urging relevant stakeholders to engage in further dialogue and give careful consideration to rule out its numerous constitutional concerns.
On Thursday of last week, President Museveni met with members of the ruling party to discuss the controversial piece of legislation.
It was decided after the meeting that President Museveni would send the bill back to Parliament for “improvements.”
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