Ugandan ministers meet to draft tougher anti-gay laws
23 August 2007-
Kampala - Ugandan government ministers convened a special meeting Thursday to
toughen existing laws against homosexuals and lesbians, the east African
country's ethics minister said. The meeting, convened by the ministers for
justice and constitutional affairs and Uganda's attorney general, came two days
after a mass anti-gay rally in the capital Kampala.
"We are meeting together
with the attorney general to amend the laws on homosexuality. The laws have
loopholes and are weak. We want also to find out which foreign organizations are
funding the homosexuals in the country," Ethics and Integrity Minister James
Nsaba Buturo told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
An unknown but growing
number of gays in Uganda have been carrying out a clandestine campaign for their
rights, to the anger of religious leaders in the mainly conservative country.
Hooded gays recently held
an unannounced and impromptu news conference in a Kampala hotel, prompting
Christian and Muslim leaders to mobilize a mass rally in Kampala Tuesday,
denouncing homosexuals and lesbians and calling for tougher legislation against
their "lifestyle."
Same-sex relationships are
illegal in Uganda, where a person found guilty of having had sexual intercourse
with someone from the same gender can be sentenced to life in prison. This law
has, however, never been enforced.
Buturo, a prominent
anti-gay campaigner, on Thursday said he would give details of the agenda of the
meeting and its recommendations to parliament only after the discussions have
ended.
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