KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Washington announced on Friday that it was imposing visa restrictions on Ugandans accused of “undermining the democratic process” in Uganda after the enactment of an anti-gay law in the East African country. East.
A State Department statement did not name anyone targeted.
He said the United States would consider other possible actions “to promote the accountability of Ugandan officials and others responsible for or complicit in undermining the democratic process in Uganda, violating human rights, including those LGBTQI+ people, or engage in corrupt practices”.
Uganda’s new law passed last month punishes homosexuality, including the death penalty in some cases. The legislation has been widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad, but it enjoys wide support in Uganda, including among religious leaders and lawmakers.
LGBTQ rights activists note that homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law criminalizing sexual activity “against the order of nature”. The penalty for this offense is life imprisonment.
Homosexuality is criminalized in more than 30 of the 54 African countries. Some Africans see it as a behavior imported from abroad and not a sexual orientation.