Uganda responds to US sanctions over anti-gay laws

The Ugandan government has said it is “surprised” that the US has imposed a number of sanctions on the country because of its anti-gay laws.

The US announced earlier this week that it has cancelled a military exercise in Uganda, imposed strict visa restrictions, diverted aid intended for Uganda to another third-world country, and cut funding for a Ugandan police programme – all in response to the laws.

“The Department of State is taking measures to prevent entry into the United States by certain Ugandan officials involved in serious human rights abuses, including against LGBT individuals,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden Hayden said of the visa restrictions.

Reacting to these sanctions, spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has claimed that the Ugandan government has yet to receive a “single report about a gay person being intimidated or harassed” since the laws were passed, reports Ugandan news website New Vision.

“[In regards to] the sanctions of Ugandan officials who allegedly intimidate lesbians and gay people, let them [Americans] not be cowards and come out and share the information of those involved, and the law take its course,” he continued, apparently challenging the US to prove that “serious human rights abuses” have actually taken place.

“We are surprised that a foreign government is the one reporting these alleged abuses, yet we have not received these complaints,” he added.

The sanctions follow previous aids cuts from the US to Uganda. In March, the US announced that it would be reducing its $400 million dollar (£240 million) aid package to the African country because of its anti-gay laws.

Related news: Barack Obama drafts order to protect LGBT workers