Human rights in Uganda

As you may have seen, last week the President of Uganda signed in to law the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Days before he signed the bill, I added my signature to a letter addressed to the President of Uganda written by Crispin Blunt MP. The letter is included below:

Dear President Museveni,

We write to express our collective concern about the potential consequences of the decision you are about to make in respect of your Parliament's Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Across all Parties represented in the United Kingdom Parliament, there is immense anxiety that Uganda doesn't send a message about itself to the world that it aligns its values with one of the more regressive and regrettable parts of the British colonial era and not in a way consistent with a growing global consensus that sexuality is innate and all people deserve the proper protection of a universal standard of human rights and freedom from discrimination. The LGBT Ugandans who you represent must be no exception.

Our concern was expressed in a brief debate in the House of Commons on 12th February 2014 and the text of this is attached. You have given every indication that you personally understand the issues at stake here and we urge you to stand up for those values and make a judgement that will be quickly vindicated by history in Africa as it has been in much of the rest of the world.

Yours sincerely,

I am disappointed that the President has ignored calls to scrap the new law and believe there is no such place for legislation such as this anywhere in the world.

The issue was debated in Parliament this month, to read what was said in the debate in Parliament, click here