Ugandan parliament drops bill that would jail gay people for life

Legislation first put forward in 2009 removed from MPs' timetable amid worldwide outcry

guardian.co.uk, David Smith in Johannesburg, Wednesday 11 May 2011

An Amnesty International poster against David Bahati's bill proposing
the imprisonment of gay people. Photograph: Dai Kurokawa/EPA

A bill calling for gay people to be imprisoned for life has been dropped by the Ugandan parliament after worldwide condemnation.

The fiercely controversial legislation, first put forward in 2009, was discussed in committee on Friday. It was due to be debated on Wednesday but was removed from the MPs' timetable.

With the current parliament about to be dissolved, the bill appears to have been put on hold indefinitely – but campaigners warned it could be reintroduced in the next session.

John Alimadi, an MP, told the Associated Press the bill may have been dropped from the agenda because of the worldwide outcry against it.

Campaigners welcomed the development. Christopher Seneno, a Ugandan bishop, said: "It's good news. We wouldn't like this bill even to be debated. That will be dangerous because there is a lot of misinformation and excitement. Just with the bill being debated, anything can happen to LGBT people."

Seneno admitted he did not know whether the bill was dead in the water or could be revived at a later date.

Ricken Patel, the executive director of Avaaz, an online group that attracted more than 1 million signatories condemning the legislation, said: "The pressure on the Ugandan government has had a big impact today, with President Museveni keeping the bill off the table – as he has for months.

"If not tabled this week the bill will die for good – a huge victory for human rights."

Gay activists say homophobia in Uganda has increased since the bill's introduction. More gay people are being harassed because of media attention and because church leaders have been preaching in favour of the bill going through parliament.

Authored by the MP David Bahati, the bill carries harsh provisions. Anyone convicted of a homosexual act would face life imprisonment. Anyone who "aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of acts of homosexuality" would face seven years in prison. Landlords renting rooms or homes to homosexual people could get seven years.

Bahati's original bill mandated a death sentence for active homosexual people living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape, but he said last month this was "something we have moved away from".

Politicians and civil rights groups around the world have criticised the bill, with Barack Obama describing it as "odious".

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”