The Ugandan Parliament has pronounced sentences for persons found guilty of LGBTQ+ and its related activities.

The sentences are to serve as deterrents to persons with intentions to engage in the act, following the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023, which was passed on March 21, 2023.

A statement announcing them said: “The Parliament of Uganda has unanimously considered and passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 with maximum penalty of death sentence and imprisonment for other offenses.”

According to the statement, persons convicted of aggravated homosexuality will face a death penalty. Secondly, persons who commit the offense of homosexuality will face a 20-year sentence.

Additionally, a person convicted of promotion of homosexuality will be subjected to a jail term of 20 years.

A person recruiting children into homosexuality will face a 20-year jail sentence, if found guilty.

Persons who are convicted of attempted aggravated homosexuality will face a 14-year jail sentence.

Under the new law, persons convicted of attempted homosexuality will face a 10-year jail sentence.

Also, the owner of the premises that promote homosexuality will face a jail term of 10 years.

Children have not been left out in this as Uganda has pronounced sentences for children such that a child found guilty of homosexuality will be jailed 3 years.

Media houses that publish materials that promote homosexuality will be fined 1 billion shillings and also have their licenses revoked for 10 years.

About the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 is a Ugandan parliamentary bill that restricts freedom of speech on LGBT topics and criminalises homosexuality. Parliament assented to the bill, which was then sent to President Yoweri Museveni, on 21 March 2023.

The bill has been condemned by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and the European Union, as well as several local and international NGOs.