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CNN —Two men in Uganda are facing separate charges of “aggravated homosexuality,” an offense punishable by death under the country’s controversial new anti-gay laws. “Aggravated homosexuality,” according to the much-criticized act, involves incest, sex with children, as well as people with disabilities or the elderly. The act, signed into law in May, also outlaws gay marriage in Uganda and it punishes same-sex acts with life imprisonment. The man arrested in Soroti is the second person to be charged with the capital offense in Uganda since the law passed in May. Earlier this month, the World Bank said it would not consider fresh loan requests from Uganda following the anti-gay legislation.

Persons: ”, “, ” Jacqueline Okui, Yoweri Museveni, Justine Balya, Balya, Museveni, Joe Biden, ” Museveni Organizations: CNN, Public Prosecutions, US, World Bank, United Nations Locations: Uganda, Soroti, Jinja district

☆ Uganda Arrests Man on Antigay Charge Punishable by Death
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Emma Bubola | More About Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ugandan prosecutors have lodged charges of “aggravated homosexuality” against a 20-year-old man — a crime punishable by death — in one of the country’s first applications of provision included in one of the world’s harshest antigay laws. Same-sex acts had long been considered illegal under Uganda’s penal code, but a law enacted this year introduced far harsher penalties and vastly extended the range of perceived offenses. Its passage drew condemnation from human rights groups and the United Nations, and the Biden administration called it “one of the most extreme” antigay measures in the world. Prosecutors used the death penalty provision this month to charge a 20-year-old man with having sexual intercourse with a 41-year-old man with a disability in the city of Soroti, in Eastern Uganda, according to Jacquelyn Okui, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. (A separate case against a different man, lodged last month, involved an underage person, Ms. Okui said.)

Persons: —, Biden, Jacquelyn, Okui Organizations: United Nations, Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Locations: Soroti, Eastern Uganda

☆ Uganda passes bill banning identifying as LGBTQ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), according to rights group Human Rights Watch. In addition to same-sex intercourse, the law bans promoting and abetting homosexuality as well as conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. Violations under the law draw steep penalties including death for so called aggravated homosexuality and life in prison for gay sex. I support the bill to protect the future of our children," said lawmaker David Bahati during debate on the bill. In recent weeks Uganda authorities have cracked down on LGBTQ individuals after religious leaders and politicians alleged students were being recruited into homosexuality in schools.

☆ Uganda confirms Ebola case in country's east as outbreak expands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - An Ebola case has been confirmed in Jinja in eastern Uganda, the country's health minister said on Sunday, the first time the outbreak has spread to a new region of the country from central Uganda where cases have been confined so far. Authorities have been struggling to contain the highly infectious and deadly haemorrhagic fever since the epidemic was declared on Sept. 20. Uganda has so far recorded a total of 135 confirmed cases and 53 deaths, according to the health ministry. In a tweet, health minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the case in Jinja was of a 45-year-old man who died on Thursday. A sample that turned positive for Ebola had been obtained from the body by health workers at a private clinic where he had sought treatment.

☆ Uganda says coffee exports down 14% yr/yr due to drought
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KAMPALA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Uganda's coffee exports declined last month due to the impact of a drought affecting many growing areas across the country, the state-run sector regulator said. The east African country shipped a total of 503,695 60-kg bags of coffee beans in September, down 14% compared with the same period a year earlier, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) said in a report. In the 2021-2022 (Oct- Sept) crop year, Uganda exported 5.9million bags that fetched $876 million, down from 6.5 millionbags worth $630.01 million. Some years earnings are higher despite a decline in volumes, because of rises in international coffee prices. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Estelle ShirbonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Uganda floods: 16 dead as heavy rains trigger landslides
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-08 | by ( Bethlehem Feleke Cnn Reuters | Bethlehem Feleke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —At least 16 people died in western Uganda after heavy rains in the Kasese district on Tuesday night caused a landslide early Wednesday, according to tweets from the Uganda Red Cross. Six people were also injured and are receiving treatment at a local hospital, the red cross spokesperson Irene Nakasiita tweeted. After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have fallen on much of Uganda since late July, causing deaths and flooding, and the destruction of crops, homes, and infrastructure. In July, flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in Mbale district in eastern Uganda. Many parts of Uganda are prone to flooding after heavy rains, but the whole country is vulnerable to natural disasters.

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