In late March, Uganda's parliament passed one bill with tougher penalties for LGBTQI people. After the space for LGBTQI people increased under them In recent years, the situation has rapidly worsened and activists are worried about what the future holds if the president chooses to approve the bill.
- I felt that my efforts and other LGBTQI people and human rights defenders' efforts went up in flames, says Maltae, program manager at LGTBQI Voices Uganda to Development magazine.
Maltose, whose real name is something else, is an activist and program manager for LGBTQI Voices Uganda. He has closely followed the parliamentary negotiations surrounding the bill and the president's position. As the bill was voted through in parliament, he was glued to the television and a sense of uncertainty and an uneasy future grew within him.
- I immediately sent out a message in our group chat where I encouraged the members to stay calm, not to lose hope and to stay safe until we figure out the next step, Maltose tells Uttvecklingsmagasinet.
The President sends the bill back for changes
Homosexuality is already punishable by life imprisonment in Uganda, under colonial-era laws - but that is not considered enough. At the end of March this year, the country's parliament adopted the first version of the strict bill which, among other things, suggested that make it illegal to identify as an LGBTQI person or other "sexualities or gender identities that go against the binary categories of male and female". In order for the law to come into force, however, it must be approved by the president Yoweri Museveni.
At the end of April announced the President in a statement that he had decided not to sign the bill. Instead, it was sent back to the National Assembly "with suggestions for improvements". The president's spokesman, Sandor Walusimbi, announced in connection with the statement that the president, however, has no objections to the harsher punishments that the bill entails. In early May, the bill was reauthorized after being revised—and now it's back on the president's desk.
Activists react to the historically strict bill
Among other things, the revised bill removed the clause criminalizing anyone who identifies as LGBTQI away. Also the obligation for friends, family and community members to report individuals in same-sex relationships to the authorities was changed to only require notification when a child is involved. Trock changesna the bill retains most of the toughest the punishments in the legislation passed in March. The bill does the among Other illegal to "promote" homosexuality and "incite" same-sex Fri and to support LGBTQ rights. Anyone who breaks the law risks many years in prison - or in the worst case capital punishment. Several mhuman rights activists in the country warn now because the violence against homosexuals risks increasing further and that Uganda can also develop into an indicator society.
Maltose emphasizes that passing the law would affect people and organizations working for LGBTQ rights in Uganda in many ways. Among other things, organizations like LGBTQI Voices are forced to shut down programs, in some cases the organizations are completely banned, human rights violations risk increasing, LGBTQ members can be arrested or even killed, and the space to work for LGBTQ issues will shrink as insecurity for civil society workers increases. The mental health problems of LGBTQ people and activists are also at risk of increasing due to the escalation of abuse and fear due to a lack of security, according to Maltose.
A bill to protect traditional values - right?
Supporters of the tough legislation say it is needed to punish a wider range of LGBTQ activities, which they say threaten the country's traditional values. While the law has drawn international condemnation, it is called from Ugandan hold that the country must "resist the arrogant behavior of other societies who want to impose (them) this foreign behavior". Rhetoric that homosexuality would be a problem imported and imposed from the West is something that the president also uses, most recently in connection with his statement about the bill.
- Europe is lost. So they also want us to get lost, the president said in a video published by the national news channel UBC.
However, there are objections to the fact that the bill would be about defending traditional African values. DN's correspondent Erik Esbjörnsson type for example, that instead it is just the opposite – that homophobia is a colonial import, more specifically from puritanical Victorian Britain during the race for Africa at the end of the 1800th century. Even Maltose believes that it is the influence of the West, through charismatic right-wing evangelists, which has led to homophobia in the country being as widespread as it is today.
Withdrawal of international funding could affect the president's decision
The president of Uganda has for many years opposed the rights of LGBTQ people, but at the same time has long wanted to downplay the issue in order to stay on good terms with aid donors and investors from the West, reports among other things Al Jazeera. In fact, after In 2014 – when Uganda passed the “Kill the Gays Bill” as it came to be known locally – the country's reputation in the international arena suffered. This caused Uganda's Constitutional Court to later invalidate the law after reprisals from, among others USA and Great Britain and that the World Bank withdrew a loan on 90 million dollars. There are several who believe that similar factors may influence the president's election this time as well, among other things Swedish Radio's correspondent Richard Myrenberg.
- President Yoweri Museveni can use his veto and maintain relations with many Western countries, or ratify the law and risk losing aid, he tells Echo.
Maltose believes that if the pressure is great enough from the parts of the international community that finance a large part of the country's domestic budget, the president may choose to reject the law. However, he sees it as highly unlikely.
- It is clear that the president dislikes the LGBTQ community, he has openly said that, and I really believe he means his words, says Maltose.
As the country's LGBTQ rights are curtailed, Maltose talks about how he sees the trend to be able to turn around. He expects to see an increase in advocacy campaigns from activists based in the West and international organizations. He hopes for increased funding for programs that support LGBTQ activities and decreasing investment from Western countries into Uganda. He imagines that a massive exodus of human rights defenders could trigger efforts by international organizations to help activists with safe passage to other countries and quick access to visas.
- Personally, I intend to embark on a worldwide tour, funding permitting, to gain support from the international community to stop this bill, he concludes.
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