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Following news that one of the main promoters of Uganda’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act plans to attend a Commonwealth Day event in the UK, we have written to the Home Secretary and the Speaker of the House of Commons requesting that her invitation be revoked and her visa request be denied.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed by the Ugandan Parliament late last year. Its draconian provisions include mandatory life imprisonment for consenting same-sex acts, up to 20 years jail for advocating LGBT+ equality and the death penalty for repeat offenders and for homosexuality involving a person aged 75 and over – which effectively paves the way for the execution of elderly same-sex couples.
Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Anita Among, repeatedly spoke out in favour of the new law and, following its passage, explicitly encouraged duty bearers to execute the mandate bestowed upon them. Despite her enthusiastic support for a law which infringes on basic human rights, she was invited to London to celebrate Commonwealth Day, hosted by the Speaker of the UK Parliament.
Sharing news of her invitation, Among said that she would use the opportunity of her visit to the UK to promote the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
Jesse Sperling, Interim Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust, said:
“We were shocked to hear that one of the main supporters of the Anti-Homosexuality Act had not only received a formal invitation from the UK Parliament but had also openly stated their intention to use this occasion as a platform to spread anti-LGBTI+ rhetoric.
“Activists in Uganda have told us how damaging it is to allow Ms Among to visit the UK, and we share this sentiment. We have written to the Home Secretary and the Speaker to ask them to urgently revoke Among’s invitation and to deny her a visa.”
We have also united with other charities through the UK Alliance for Global Equality to launch a petition calling for Among’s visit to the UK to be blocked. Sign the petition here.
The pressing LGBTI+ human rights challenges of our day can only be solved through collaboration, whether that be with grassroots or international human rights organisations, governments and funding bodies – and people that really care, like you.
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