Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty
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00:00 Taking on the matter with Uganda's constitutional court, lawyers and activists file their petition
00:05 against the country's new anti-LGBT laws.
00:09 "The bill is blatantly unconstitutional.
00:12 The bill, by criminalising what we call consensual same-sex activity among adults, basically
00:19 goes against key provisions of the constitution, including violating the right to equality
00:23 and non-discrimination under Article 20 and 21 of the constitution."
00:27 Their petition, they say, highlights several flaws, such as the absence of LGBT people's
00:32 views before the committee and bias shown by the speaker in favour of the law.
00:37 "The Anti-Homosexuality Act..."
00:40 They fear the new legislation will lead to a rise in violence, and that more people will
00:45 flee the country, like these two gay men, who can't be named, who now live in Kenya.
00:51 "We have been taken to the police, then later on the police started tracing us, so that's
00:59 why we scattered ourselves, some of us we went to Kenya, some of them, I don't know
01:05 the place where they are right now."
01:10 Meanwhile there's concern that other countries across the continent could follow suit.
01:15 Homosexuality is illegal in more than 30 states in Africa, and some are seeking to toughen
01:19 their laws, drawing inspiration from Uganda.
01:22 "We are delighted to know that Uganda has been able to set the pace.
01:28 It's not an anti-LGBTQ law.
01:33 If you take Ghana's perspective, it's anti-LGBTQ practices.
01:39 They're specific practices that we're extremely concerned about."
01:44 Lawmakers in Ghana put forward a bill in 2021.
01:47 It seeks to lengthen jail sentences and force some people to undergo therapy in an attempt
01:52 to change their sexual orientation.