The United States Government has asked its nationals to reconsider travel to Uganda after it passed the the anti-LGBTQI+ legislation.
The advisory appears to be meant for gay community in the United States.
“The May 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act raises the risk that LGBTQI+ persons, and those perceived to be LGBTQI+, could be prosecuted and subjected to life imprisonment or death based on provisions in the law, and may be subject to mandatory reporting to the police if they are suspected of committing or intending to commit acts in violation of the law, and could face harassment or attacks by vigilantes,” the travel advisory updated on Tuesday reads in part.
“Supporters of the dignity and human rights of LGBTQI+ persons (including those of youth under the age of 18) could be prosecuted and imprisoned for multi-year sentences,” it added.
President Museveni recently said being homosexual was not a crime but engaging in acts of homosexuality would attract legal consequences.
He said the new law criminalises acts of homosexuality, exhibitionism and promotion of the sexual orientation.
The law provides that a person commits the offence of homosexuality if the person performs a sexual act or allows a person of the same sex to perform a sexual act on him or her.
A person who commits the offence of homosexuality is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for life while one who attempts to perform a homosexual act is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023 also provides that a person shall be deemed to attempt to commit an offence when the person intending to commit an offence begins to put his or her intention into execution by means adapted to its fulfilment, and manifests his or her intention by some overt act, but does not fulfil his or her intention to such an extent as to commit the offence.
In Uganda, lawmakers said they passed the law to protect the traditional African marriage and culture.
The law has attracted threats of economic sanctions against Uganda from the western countries, warnings President Museveni said he won’t succumb to.
Museveni said if the western countries decide interfere with Uganda’s trade, Kampala will look for alternative markets.
The U.S. The Embassy said in its travel advisory that “there remains a threat of terrorist attacks in Uganda and throughout the region” and that “violent crime, such as armed robbery, home invasion, and sexual assault, presents a serious threat to those visiting and residing in Uganda and can occur at any time, especially in larger cities, including Kampala and Entebbe, in the Karamoja region, and along Uganda’s western and northern borders.”
