
President Yoweri Museveni
The United States of America has announced measures aimed at punishing Uganda for a law signed recently by President Yoweri Museveni that makes some homosexual acts punishable by life in prison.
The White House announced the cancellation of a planned military exercise with Uganda and stated that it will deny entry to certain Ugandan citizens, including those "involved in serious human rights abuses, including against LGBT individuals." It also announced that Uganda's government institutions will lose U.S. funding.
However, Washington assured that it will not end its humanitarian support for Uganda or its cooperation to stamp out the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) - led by Joseph Kony.
Uganda's anti-homosexuality act, first introduced in 2009, originally included a death penalty clause for some acts. It was briefly shelved when Britain and other European nations threatened to withdraw aid to Uganda, which relies on millions of dollars from the international community.
Museveni signed the bill into law in February, two months after Uganda's Parliament passed it after replacing a death penalty provision with a proposal of life in prison for "aggravated homosexuality." This includes acts in which one person is infected with HIV, "serial offenders" and sex with minors, according to Amnesty International.
The law also calls for the imprisonment of those who counsel or reach out to gays and lesbians - a provision that would ensnare rights groups and others providing services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.