Uganda has “gone back 100 steps backwards in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” activists there say after the country’s president approved a draconian anti-gay bill which has also led to warnings of sanctions and visa restrictions by donor countries.
The law, signed by President Yoweri Museveni, includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which it defines as same-sex acts involving people living with HIV or minors, among others. The bill approved by the leader on Friday and announced in a statement by the speaker of the country’s Parliament, Anita Among, on Monday, also prescribes up to 14 years in prison for “attempted aggravated homosexuality” and 20 years for the “recruitment, promotion and funding” of homosexuality.
After a version of the bill was passed through Parliament in March, activists warned that the legislation would essentially criminalize inclusive HIV programs and undermine the country’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030. Some said that the bill would essentially make some U.S. President’s Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief-funded programs “completely illegal.”