A Ugandan tabloid newspaper published a list of dozens of people it says are gay and lesbian, the day after the country’s President Yoweri Museveni implemented a law toughening penalties for homosexual acts.
A headline on the front page of the Red Pepper today reads “EXPOSED!” with identifying information including full and partial names and photos of some of the alleged homosexuals appearing on the cover and inside of the publication.
Museveni says he was motivated to sign the new law, which carries a life sentence for “aggravated homosexuality,” after scientists in Uganda found no genetic link to homosexuality. The law threatens freedom of expression as it also criminalizes the “promotion” of homosexuality and curbs groups working on safe-sex issues, New York-based Human Rights Watch said today.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for the law to be repealed on the grounds it violates human rights enshrined in Uganda’s constitution. The U.S. is now reviewing its relationship with the country, including its aid program, Kerry said in an e-mailed statement. When the Ugandan law was first circulated in 2009 as a private member’s bill, it proposed the death penalty for homosexual acts, which was later dropped.
To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1k9jECz
0 comments:
Post a Comment