Uganda's parliament has passed a bill
to toughen the punishment for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment in
some cases.
The anti-homosexuality bill also makes it a crime punishable by
a prison sentence not to report gay people.
The prime minister opposed the vote, saying not enough MPs were
present.
The bill has been condemned by world leaders since it was mooted
in 2009 - US President Barack Obama called it "odious".
The BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga in Kampala says the government
knows there will be an international outcry, which could see some countries
suspend aid to the country.
She says that Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi might follow up on
his complaints about a lack of quorum, while it remains to be seen whether
President Yoweri Museveni will sign the bill into law.
The private member's bill originally proposed the death penalty
for some offences, such as if a minor was involved or the perpetrator was
HIV-positive, but this has been replaced with life in prison.
Miniskirt ban
The MP behind the bill, David Bahati, told the AFP news agency:
"This is victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against
evil."
"Because we are a God-fearing nation, we value life in a
holistic way. It is because of those values that members of parliament passed
this bill regardless of what the outside world thinks," he said.
The bill also bans the promotion of homosexuality.
"I am officially illegal," Ugandan gay activist Frank
Mugisha said after the vote.
The bill's supporters say it is needed to protect traditional
family values, which they say are under attack from Western-inspired gay rights
groups.
Its critics say the bill has been pushed by some US evangelical
Christians.
Uganda is a socially conservative country and on Thursday passed
an Anti-Pornography Bill, which bans miniskirts and sexually suggestive
material such as some music videos.
Human rights activists say the bill highlights the intolerance
and discrimination the gay community faces in Uganda.
One gay activist was killed in 2011, although the police denied
he was targeted because of his sexuality.
Meanwhile a local newspaper has been condemned for publishing
the names and addresses of people it said were gay.
Holidaymakers and visiting foreigners are not immune from
prosecution under Uganda's existing anti-homosexuality laws.
A retired British man is awaiting trial in Entebbe on charges of
possessing a gay sex video after thieves found images on his laptop.
Sixty-five-year-old Bernard Randall, from Kent, faces a possible
two-year prison sentence if found guilty.
His friend Albert Cheptoyek, a Ugandan national with whom he
shares a house, has denied a more serious charge of carrying out "acts of
gross indecency", which could see him jailed for up to seven years if
found guilty.
BBC
BBC
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