Gays could soon be illegal in Uganda after the country's parliament snubbed Western governments and NGOs to pass new laws criminalising them.
Already gay acts, like anal sex between men, are illegal in Uganda. The new law however means that people who just "identify as gay" could also be sent to jail.
The new bill, passed on Tuesday (21st), means that people convicted of grooming or trafficking children for homosexual activities face life in prison. Also, individuals or organisations which support, fund, publish, broadcast and distribute pro-gay media material and literature, will face prosecution and imprisonment. Meanwhile friends and family members of gays, as well as members of the community, will have a legal duty to report gays to the authorities.
However, for the law to come into force, it will have to be signed off by Ugandan President Museveni, who is expected to face pressure and economic blackmail from Western donors and investors. But thanks to Musaveni's links to Russia and Uganda's growing economic relations with China, Museveni is not entirely dependent on the West and may view Western calls to stop the law as unwarranted interference in Ugandan democracy.
It seems that this case is not just about gays. It is also about the struggle in the Ukraine and whether or not global multipolarity is edging out Western unipolarity in Africa. It is also about whether "gay rights" is a geopolitical handicap in the new global power struggle.
Already gay acts, like anal sex between men, are illegal in Uganda. The new law however means that people who just "identify as gay" could also be sent to jail.
The new bill, passed on Tuesday (21st), means that people convicted of grooming or trafficking children for homosexual activities face life in prison. Also, individuals or organisations which support, fund, publish, broadcast and distribute pro-gay media material and literature, will face prosecution and imprisonment. Meanwhile friends and family members of gays, as well as members of the community, will have a legal duty to report gays to the authorities.
However, for the law to come into force, it will have to be signed off by Ugandan President Museveni, who is expected to face pressure and economic blackmail from Western donors and investors. But thanks to Musaveni's links to Russia and Uganda's growing economic relations with China, Museveni is not entirely dependent on the West and may view Western calls to stop the law as unwarranted interference in Ugandan democracy.
It seems that this case is not just about gays. It is also about the struggle in the Ukraine and whether or not global multipolarity is edging out Western unipolarity in Africa. It is also about whether "gay rights" is a geopolitical handicap in the new global power struggle.
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