All but two of 389 lawmakers voted Tuesday night in favor of a tough anti-gay law that would introduce the death penalty and life imprisonment for same-sex people and “recruit, promote and finance” “activities” of the same sex. “A person who commits the crime of homosexuality under aggravated circumstances is sentenced to death by a court of law,” reads the bill, introduced by Robina Rwakujo, chair of legal and parliamentary affairs, according to The Guardian.
The bill will now go to President Yoweri Museveni, who can veto it or sign it into law. In Uganda, a predominantly conservative Christian country, same-sex sexual relations were already punishable by life imprisonment. Human rights activists condemned the new law of parliament, calling it “the law of hate”.
President Museveni has previously said that Uganda will not accept homosexuality, noting that the West is trying to force other countries to “normalize” what he called “deviations”. “Western countries should stop wasting humanity’s time trying to impose their methods on other people,” Museveni said in a televised address to parliament on March 16.