Uganda's parliament has passed a bill to toughen the punishment
for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment in some cases.
The anti-homosexuality bill also makes it a crime punishable by
a prison sentence not to report gay people. The prime minister opposed the vote, saying not enough MPs were
present. The bill has been condemned by world leaders since it was mooted
in 2009 - US President Barack Obama called it "odious".
The BBC's Reporter in Kampala says the government
knows there will be an international outcry, which could see some countries
suspend aid to the country.
She says that Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi might follow up on
his complaints about a lack of quorum, while it remains to be seen whether
President Yoweri Museveni will sign the bill into law.
The private member's bill originally proposed the death penalty
for some offences, such as if a minor was involved or the perpetrator was
HIV-positive, but this has been replaced with life in prison.
Ugandan MPs pass life in jail anti-homosexual law
Miniskirt ban
The MP behind the bill, David Bahati, told the AFP news agency:
"This is victory for Uganda. I am glad the parliament has voted against
evil."
"Because we are a God-fearing
nation, we value life in a holistic way. It is because of those values that
members of parliament passed this bill regardless of what the outside world
thinks," he said. The bill also bans the promotion of homosexuality.
"I am officially illegal," Ugandan gay activist Frank
Mugisha said after the vote.
The bill's supporters say it is needed to protect traditional
family values, which they say are under attack from Western-inspired gay rights
groups. Its critics say the bill has been pushed by some US evangelical
Christians.
Uganda is a socially conservative country and on Thursday passed
an Anti-Pornography Bill, which bans miniskirts and sexually suggestive
material such as some music videos. Human rights activists say the bill
highlights the intolerance and discrimination the gay community faces in Uganda.
One gay activist was killed in 2011, although the police denied
he was targeted because of his sexuality. Meanwhile a
local newspaper has been condemned for publishing the names and addresses of
people it said were gay.
Briton Bernard Randall is facing prosecution
in Uganda
Holidaymakers and
visiting foreigners are not immune from prosecution under Uganda's existing
anti-homosexuality laws. A retired British man
is awaiting trial in Entebbe on charges of possessing a gay sex video after
thieves found images on his laptop.
Sixty-five-year-old
Bernard Randall, from Kent, faces a possible two-year prison sentence if found
guilty. His friend Albert
Cheptoyek, a Ugandan national with whom he shares a house, has denied a more serious
charge of carrying out "acts of gross indecency", which could see him
jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.
Today's rescheduled
auction had a minimum bid of $13 million, but Jordan spokeswoman Estee Portnoy
told AP that no one offered that much.
"I have so many
amazing, happy memories of my life in the house. ... It's where my kids grew
up," Jordan said.
"It's where I lived during my championship years. ... But my kids are
grown now and I don't need a large house [in the Chicago area] anymore."
"Large house" is perhaps an understatement. The estate, called Legend
Point, has 56,000 square feet of living space on more than 7 acres of land.
Besides its nine bedrooms, 15 full bathrooms and four half-baths, it has,according to the Concierge Auctions
listing:
• "A card and cigar
room with a custom-built, walk-in humidor."
