- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has broken the silence on the controversial anti gay bill saying it goes against the government policy.
The Ugandan President said the country is ready to bow to international pressure and amend the draconian anti-homosexual legislation that includes a hefty sentence of death penalty for HIV-positive people convicted of having gay sex.
He said that the MP who proposed the bill, who is also a member of the ruling party, did so as an individual and was not following government policy, saying that the bill has become the foreign policy issue.
The Ugandan legislator David Bahati who proposed the anti gay bill has rejected the call to withdraw the highly contentious bill despite government efforts to review it.
Member of Parliament defended his stance saying the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is essential to protect Uganda’s future generation from being recruited into homosexuality.
The proposed law, which has been pushed by local evangelical preachers and vocally supported by senior government officials, also threatens life imprisonment for anyone convicted of gay sex.
President Museveni said numerous western leaders had spoken to him about the bill.
The proposed bill states that anyone convicted of a homosexual act including touching someone of the same sex with the intent of committing a homosexual act would face life in prison.
Gay rights activists had said the bill promotes hatred and could set back efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in the conservative East African country.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which Mr Bahati proposed in September, has provoked criticism and protests internationally, including in the United States and United Kingdom where both liberal and conservative church leaders have expressed their opposition including rights organisations.
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afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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