Ugandan LGBTQIA+ activists lodged a legal challenge on Monday to the country’s Constitutional Court to scrutinize the legality of the Anti-Homosexual Act. The Act, ratified earlier this year by the country’s president, restricts the rights of LGBTIA+ individuals and enforces severe penalties for specific same-sex actions, including capital punishment.
A panel of five judges, headed by Judge Richard Buteera, has initiated hearings on the issue, requesting written submissions from both sides. Lawyer Nicholas Opiyo, representing the petitioners, expressed hope for a fair court ruling. Opiyo said that the court has the chance to decide if the Ugandan constitution offers equal protection under the law to all Ugandans, including LGBTQI+ individuals.
The controversial law has been internationally criticized. LGBTIA+ organizations have criticized the European Union for its ongoing financial support of Uganda after the approval of the Act, as well as heavy disapproval from the UK and the US.
The Ugandan legislature, however, has defended the law. The Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Anita Annet Among, stated that the Parliament of Uganda had attended to the concerns of its citizenry and enacted law to preserve the sanctity of the family.
According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), of the 54 African nations, only 22 have legalized homosexuality. Mauritania and Somalia permit the death penalty for same-sex sexual conduct, as mentioned in this report.