KAMPALA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A court in Uganda on Wednesday declined to nullify the controversial anti-homosexuality law that imposed death and life imprisonment for certain homosexual acts.
A panel of five judges of the Constitutional Court led by Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera rejected the petition from gay activists and campaigners to nullify the legislation, which President Yoweri Museveni signed into law in May 2023.
"We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, nor would we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement," Buteera said in a ruling delivered in a courtroom packed with supporters and opponents of the anti-homosexuality law. "The upshot of our judgment is that this petition substantially fails. Each party shall bear its cost. It's so ruled."
While the judges struck down some provisions of the law, such as requiring landlords or medical personnel to report clients who are homosexual, they deemed this requirement contrary to rights to health, privacy, adequate standard of living and religion, thus inconsistent with the Constitution.
The law imposes death and life imprisonment sentences for certain same-sex acts, up to 20 years in jail for the promotion and funding of same-sex activities. A suspect convicted of attempted aggravated homosexuality faces 14 years in prison.
In 2014, the Constitutional Court overturned a previous piece of anti-homosexuality legislation on procedural grounds. ■
