This is the response of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association to a private members bill introduced in the Ugandan Parliament in 2009. The Bill, if enacted, would have established life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the offence of ‘homosexuality’, and imposed the death penalty on anyone convicted of the offence of ‘aggravated homosexuality’. The opinion considers the compatibility of the Bill with international human rights law. The analysis also considers the broader issue of any form of criminalisation of consensual private homosexual acts and is therefore of relevance to a large number of Commonwealth jurisdictions.This is the response of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association to a private members bill introduced in the Ugandan Parliament in 2009. The Bill, if enacted, would have established life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the offence of ‘homosexuality’, and imposed the death penalty on anyone convicted of the offence of ‘aggravated homosexuality’. The opinion considers the compatibility of the Bill with international human rights law. The analysis also considers the broader issue of any form of criminalisation of consensual private homosexual acts and is therefore of relevance to a large number of Commonwealth jurisdictions.
Opinion of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association on the Uganda Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009
This opinion of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association on the Uganda Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009 demonstrates how the Bill goes against international human rights law and relevant case law.