Call for Joining the Solidarity Protest Against the Potential Passage of Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda
Join in solidarity with the sexual rights and human rights movement in
Uganda, as they work in the next few days to strategize against the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The bill seeks imprisonment of “homosexuals” for up to 14 years, without access to legal justice until after 7 days upon arrest. With neo-colonial backing and agitation from U.S. Evangelicals, the bill is a redundancy of the British Colonial Penal Code Act, which sought (and seeks) to “criminalize any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” (Sections 145 to 150 of the Penal Code Act)
These are the direct words from the Coalition for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Kampala, Uganda :
“We call upon all partners, friends and allies to organize worldwide demonstrations in different cities around the world now and or in the event that this bill is passed in its current form.”
“Unfortunately, we received troubling confirmation on the 14th February 2014 from State House that President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta of the Republic of Uganda has agreed to sign the bill into law. We are not sure when he actually intends to sign the bill but from our calculations, he has until the 23rd of February to do so. Again if he does nothing by the end of 23rd February, the law presumes his assent and then all the Speaker of Parliament needs to do is to table the Bill before parliament and it becomes law. With a Speaker who has clearly shown her determination to make this Bill law, we believe she will do this as soon as the days run out. So either way, we have a limited period within which to act and if the Bill passes we need to support actions that oppose the new law. These guidelines are intended to guide international partners on how to support the CSCHRCL at this important stage.”
Where: Ugandan Consolate, Budapest, Hungary.
When: February 24, 16:30.