US Considering Sanction On Ugandan Officials Over Anti-gay Law

The assenting of the anti-LGBTQ bill into law, by President Yoweri Museveni, has sparked numerous outrages from the Western Liberal communities. The United State however has been threatening with sanctions, soon after the Ugandan Legislature first passed the bill.

The Secretary of State of US, Antony Blinken said the United States would consider limiting visas for some Ugandan leaders involved in the campaign for the passage of the bill. Blinken stated that the US was “deeply troubled” by Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law, which President Museveni assented into law.

Even though same-sex relationships have long been prohibited in Uganda, the new law stipulates the death penalty for certain behaviors, such as “aggravated homosexuality,” as well as a 20-year prison sentence for “promoting” homosexuality. Museveni had earlier requested that the clause on “aggravated homosexuality” be removed.

As soon as possible, US President Joe Biden denounced the bill as “a tragic violation of universal human rights” and vowed to stop providing help and investments to the nation of East Africa. He pleaded with Uganda to revoke the rule.

Information updates have been sent to the State Department Guidance for US citizens and business travels to Uganda, categorizing Uganda as a danger zone for American LGBTQ families, planning trips to the East African country.

Also, Washington would also assist to “develop mechanisms to support the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals in Uganda and to promote accountability for Ugandan officials and other individuals responsible for, or complicit in, abusing their human rights”, Biden said.

The signing into law of the bill, has also outraged some right groups in Uganda. In a press release, a rights organization dubbed the law as “blatantly unconstitutional” and that it had been challenged in court by the group.

“By criminalizing what we call consensual same-sex activity among adults, it goes against key provisions of the constitution including rights on equality and non-discrimination,” the Executive Director of the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, Adrian Jjuuko explained.

Moreover, President Museveni’s decision to assent the law, shocked the European Union, the United Kingdom, UNAIDS, the Global Fund, human rights organizations, and LGBTQ organizations. UNAIDS also remarked that, Ugandan President Museveni has been at the leading edge of AIDS-eradication campaigns, founded on the idea of universal access to healthcare.

In a joint press release with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, UNAIDS explained that, the new legislation would put such campaign in “grave jeopardy”.

“Trust, confidentiality, and stigma-free engagement are essential for anyone seeking healthcare,” the statement read. “LGBTQI+ people in Uganda increasingly fear for their safety and security, and increasing numbers of people are being discouraged from seeking vital health services for fear of attack, punishment and further marginalization.”

A domestic court in 2014, overturned a less stringent anti-LGBTQ law on procedural grounds after Western nations first halted some aid, imposed visa restrictions, and restricted security cooperation with Uganda. Despite receiving annual foreign funding worth billions of dollars, Uganda now is becoming a candidate for Western sanctions.

“Uganda’s failure to safeguard the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons are part of a broader degradation of human rights protections that puts Ugandan citizens at risk and damages the country’s reputation as a destination for investment, development, tourism and refugees,” Blinken said.

Aside Uganda, other African nations have been threatened with sanctions by the Liberal West, if they try to enact laws, that compromise LGBQT rights in their respective countries. Notably is Ghana, a bill, as at now is at the committee level for deliberations, as the Parliament of Ghana seeks to pass a bill to safeguard proper cultural values in accordance with Ghanaian norms and customs.  

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