Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has refused to sign the new anti-LGBTQ bill and has called for its amendment. The bill was sent to the National Assembly with proposed improvements, following a meeting of ruling party MPs in the capital Kampala.
Mr. Museveni condemned homosexuality at the meeting, according to footage broadcast by UBC, adding that “Europe has lost and wants his country to lose too”.
He praised the lawmakers for approving the bill and for their “firm stance” despite international condemnation.
The president’s spokesman, Sandor Walusimbi, has stated in a tweet that the proposed amendments relate to “the issue of rehabilitation”, stating that he is in favor of the sanctions proposed by the bill.
On the “issue of rehabilitation”, Sandor Walusimbi indicated that the President had doubts regarding the “rehabilitation of people who have been homosexual in the past and who would seek a normal life”.
To examine this issue of rehabilitation, the bill was sent to Parliament before being signed.
Homosexuality “considered as a sexual act against nature” is an illegal offense in this East African country, punished by life imprisonment.
A group of experts at the United Nations characterized this bill as a “violation of human rights,” and the international community, including the United States, put pressure on Mr. Museveni to oppose it.