The United States (U.S) has outlined possible threats that the remaining provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023 pose to Ugandan people, including LGBTQI+ and their allies.
This was confirmed in a press statement dated April 3, 2024, where Antony J. Blinken, US the Secretary of State described the impact of the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the lives of the LGBTQ and Ugandans at large.
According to Blinken, AHA undermines public health, clamps down on civic space, damages Uganda’s international reputation, and harms efforts to increase foreign investment.
“The United States continues to be deeply concerned by the reports of human rights abuses in Uganda, including against LGBTQI+ Ugandans. The announcement that some provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Act have been removed by the Constitutional Court is a small and insufficient step towards safeguarding human rights,” Blinken said.
However, he said that Uganda should respect the human dignity of all and provide equal protection to all individuals under Ugandan and international law.
After the Court decision upholding the AHA, the European Union in Uganda upheld its position on the Act, stating that the AHA is contrary to international human rights and regretted the retention of the death penalty in the Act, to which the EU is opposed in all circumstances.
This comes after the Ugandan Constitutional Court on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, upheld the validity of the Anti-Homosexuality Act while striking down some of its key sections, citing health and privacy concerns.
The Ugandan Court decision has since caused mixed reactions among petitioners in Uganda and the international community.
Andrew Mwenda, one of the petitioners who challenged the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, asked the international community and donors to stay out of Uganda’s move to fight the Act, explaining that their involvement with sanctions and travel bans distorts the whole process, making it seem like they want to impose their values on Uganda.
The fate of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act remains unknown, as some Ugandan human rights activists are set to forward their petition to the Supreme Court.
