BRUSSELS — Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law, which President Yoweri Museveni signed on Monday, goes against international human rights law and will impact the country’s ties with international partners, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
“This law is contrary to international human rights law and to Uganda’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, including commitments on dignity and non-discrimination, and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment,” Borrell said in a statement.
“The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all of its citizens and uphold their basic rights. Failure to do so will undermine relationships with international partners,” he said.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said his government would consider visa restrictions against Ugandan officials and others for the abuse of human rights following the implementation of one of the world’s toughest anti-gay laws.
Blinken said he has instructed the State Department to update travel guidance to US citizens and businesses over travel to Uganda.
The measures follow President Joe Biden’s condemnation of the Ugandan legislation.
Biden said the United States may impose sanctions and would evaluate the implications of the law “on all aspects of US engagement with Uganda.”
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Monday signed the anti-LGBTQ laws, which includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” drawing Western condemnation and raising the risk of sanctions by aid donors.
“This shameful act is the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda,” Biden said in a statement.
He said he had directed the White House National Security Council to evaluate the implications of the law on all aspects of US engagement with Uganda, including the ability to safely deliver services under the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and other forms of assistance and investment.
Biden said the US government would consider the impact of the law as part of its review of Uganda’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which provides duty-free access to goods of designated sub-Saharan African countries.
“And we are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption,” said Biden.
Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, as in more than 30 African countries but the new law goes further. — Reuters
