Uganda’s anti-gay law annulled by court for being ‘illegal’
By Nick Levine
Uganda’s controversial anti-gay law has been annulled by the country’s Constitutional Court for being “illegal”.
On February 24, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed an anti-gay bill into law on live TV. Under the law, those who committed acts of so-called “aggravated homosexuality” could face life imprisonment.
Those who reached out to the gay community could also face prison sentences for the so-called “promotion of sexuality”.
Now the BBC is reporting that Uganda’s Constitutional Court has declared the law “null and void” because it was passed without the minimum number of law-making MPs being present at parliament, and was therefore “illegal”.
The anti-gay law was widely-criticised by the international community after it came into effect, with the US both imposing sanctions and cutting aid to Uganda in response to its anti-gay policies.
The Ugandan government had previously defended the law, saying President Museveni wanted “to demonstrate Uganda’s independence in the face of Western pressure and provocation”.
In protest against the law, a gay man from California planted a rainbow flag at the top of Uganda’s highest mountain in April – click here to find out more and see the picture.