Ugandan president defiant as western countries threaten sanctions over repressive anti-homosexuality law

“No one will make us move,” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared on Wednesday in reaction to threats of penalties from some Western countries after he signed into law the “Anti-Homosexuality Law 2023,” which is considered to be one of the most repressive laws in the world. Some Western countries have threatened to impose sanctions on Uganda since the law is one of the most repressive in the world.

“There has never been a double standard within the NRM (National Resistance Movement, the party in power): what we say to you during the day is the same thing we will tell you throughout the night.  Mr. Museveni made these remarks during a meeting of members of the ruling party. After that, the Ugandan presidency issued a press release, and the NRM’s official website also cited it. “So, the signing of the bill is over; nobody will make us move,” Museveni said.

“President Museveni advised Ugandans to stand firm, emphasizing that the problem of homosexuality is a serious subject that involves the human race.” In his speech on Wednesday to some 400 NRM MPs who were assembled in Kyankwanzi, some 200 kilometers south of the capital, the statement stated that he commended the legislators for their support and said that once they fight for the right cause, no one can defeat them. This was in reference to his speech on Wednesday.

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In addition, the President is quoted as saying in the statement, “The other time, when I met you in Kololo (a district of Kampala), I told you that you should be ready for a war.” And if you like the good life, you can’t go to war while you’re searching for pleasure; you can’t go to battle. After the announcement on Monday of the promulgation of the law known as the “Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023,” this is the first time that the Head of State of Uganda has made public comments on the matter.

This law imposes severe punishments on those who engage in homosexual activity or “promote” homosexuality by encouraging others to do so. The offense known as “aggravated homosexuality” carries a maximum sentence of death in Uganda; however, this punishment has not been carried out for many years. The passing of this bill sparked a firestorm of outrage from human rights organizations and many nations in the West.

Human rights campaigners in Uganda have pleaded with members of the international community to punish their government with economic penalties. Joe Biden, the Vice President of the United States, condemned what he called a “tragic attack” on human rights and stated that he has requested that his administration investigate the effects of this “shameful law” on “all aspects of cooperation between the United States and Uganda.”

He went on to say that the American authorities are contemplating “additional measures” for “anyone associated with human rights violations or corruption.” These “additional measures” might include fines or limits on admission into American territory. Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, criticized a regulation that was “contrary to human rights.”

The government of Uganda has a responsibility to safeguard all of its inhabitants and to see to it that the fundamental rights of those persons are honored. In the event that it is unable to do so, he issued a warning that relations with international partners will be jeopardized. As early as 2014, international donors had already begun cutting back on their assistance as a direct result of the passage of a law that criminalized homosexuality.

In particular, Washington withdrew funds for several government programs and instituted travel restrictions. Several nations in Europe, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, had also placed a freeze on some of their bilateral aid. In the end, the Constitutional Court declared the measure unconstitutional on the grounds that the voting process was flawed.