Uganda to Drop Death Penalty, Life in Jail for Gays

[racaulk]

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Uganda will drop the death penalty and life imprisonment for gays in a refined version of an anti-gay bill expected to be ready for presentation to Parliament in two weeks, James Nsaba Buturo, the minister of ethics and integrity, said.

The draft bill, which is under consideration by a parliamentary committee, will drop the two punishments to attract the support of religious leaders who are opposed to these penalties, Buturo said today in a phone interview from the capital, Kampala.

Ugandan lawmaker David Bahati presented a private member’s bill on Oct. 14 which sought the death penalty and life imprisonment for gay people in the country. The Ugandan government supports the bill because homosexuality and lesbianism are “repugnant to the Ugandan culture,” Buturo said. Still, it favors a more refined set of punishments, he said.

In addition to formulating punishments for the gay people, the bill will also promote counseling to help “attract errant people to acceptable sexual orientation,” said Buturo.

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Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ajROCFqLP2Lo
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This bill is still draconian and atrocious, but only slightly less so than before. Still, I suppose some improvement is better than none.

H/T: J.M.G.

[hedgehog]

1. Amazing, absolutely amazing. With all the problems in Uganda,

people are actually wasting time looking for scapegoats!

[TheWraith]

2. Why should Uganda be different from anywhere else? nt

[hedgehog]

4. True, I guess we're just looking ay the unending stupidity people can exhibit.

[NMMNG]

3. Of course

Whether it's Jews, "delinquents", blacks, atheists, gays, "illegal" immigrants, or whatever there must always be a scapegoat. Perish the thought that anybody look for the real source of problems and seek viable solutions.

[Toasterlad]

5. Finally, Religion Does Something Useful.

Guess Uganda doesn't want to miss out on all the relief money donated by religious charities. Amazing that they have any money left, when they're using so much to fight equality back here in the states. I guess it's OTHER countries missionary money that would be lost.