Uganda's parliament may decide tomorrow on the "Kill the Gays Bill", which has sparked worldwide protests. Sign the online petition now!
You can hardly read that fast: Every two seconds, a new signature against an extremely anti-gay law in Uganda appears on the campaign page of the AVAAZ network.
The signatories of the Online petition come from all over the world - from Denmark to Australia. By midday on Tuesday, the 600,000 mark had been passed and the aim is to reach one million signatures by Wednesday. By then, the law, which provides for draconian penalties for homosexuality, could be passed. Observers assume that it will definitely be voted on this week - before parliament's summer recess.
The new law became known as the "Kill the Gays Bill" in 2009. It sparked protests around the world because the bill provided for the death penalty for "particularly serious" cases of homosexuality, including if one of the partners is HIV-positive. Numerous countries and organisations, including the EU Parliament and the German Bundestag, protested.
The initiator of the law, MP David Bahati, recently stated in an interview with the AP news agency that it was being watered down due to international pressure and that the government was no longer seeking the death penalty. According to media reports, the MPs are working on a new version of the draft law.
Even without the death penalty, the law would still stipulate draconian punishments for homosexual acts. Commitment to emancipation and HIV prevention for homosexual men would be effectively banned.
Even today, homosexual offences in Uganda are punishable by long prison sentences. The homophobic mood in the country culminated in the murder of gay activist David Kato in January of this year.
(howi)
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