A 20-year-old Ugandan man could be sentenced to death after being charged with aggravated homosexuality, which is a capital offense under a contentious law that was passed in May.
Although it is unclear if there have been any prior prosecutions, this is the first time that such a charge has been reported.
On August 18, the man was charged by a court in eastern Uganda over claims that he had sex with a 41-year-old man. But, according to the Reuters news agency, it was unclear why this fell under the category of “aggravated homosexuality.”
Having gay sex with a person under the age of 18 or in a situation where a person has a lifelong illness, such as HIV, falls under the “aggravated” category, as defined by the law.
The defendant’s attorney, Justine Balya, told Reuters that although four other individuals have been accused of violating Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law, her client is the first to have been charged under this harsh punishment.
According to the country’s local media, a court in Uganda charged a former gay rights activist and another man with homosexuality on August 22.
A 26-year-old woman was charged with human trafficking and three counts of homosexuality by a different Ugandan court last week.
The World Bank announced earlier this month that it was stopping new loans to Uganda because the country’s anti-homosexuality law goes against its fundamental principles.
Source-BBC
