Uganda’s parliament has passed one of the world’s cruellest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, for a second time.
The legislation was originally passed on 21 March and would have made identifying as LGBTQ+ a criminal offence.
However, President Yoweri Museveni refused to sign it and instead returned it to parliament with recommended changes, including adding a differentiation between engaging in homosexual acts and identifying as LGBTQ+.
The updated version of the law would no longer criminalise people for identifying as a member of the community, though it does propose jail terms of up to 20 years for those who advocate for or promote LGBTQ+ rights.
As with the original version, those convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” could be jailed for up to 14 years, while those found guilty of “attempted homosexuality” would be put behind bars for 10 years.
READ MORE: Uganda’s president calls on Africa to “save the world” from homosexuality
It also retains the death penalty for those charged with “aggravated homosexuality,” which it defines as cases of sexual relations involving those who are living with HIV, minors and other categories of vulnerable people.
Any other potential changes made to the law are unclear at this time, according to the Associated Press.
After passing on 2 May, it will once again head to the desk of Museveni, who can either sign or veto it.
Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the legislation and said it would violate the rights of Ugandans.
READ MORE: LGBTQ+ activists and groups gather in London to protest Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill
“One of the most extreme features of this new bill is that it criminalises people simply for being who they are as well as further infringing on the rights to privacy, and freedoms of expression and association that are already compromised in Uganda,” said HRW Uganda researcher Oryem Nyeko.
Although whether or not Museveni will sign it into law is yet to be seen, he previously described homosexuals as “deviants” and called on Africa to “save the world” from homosexuality.
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