By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Human Rights activists in Uganda have filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the ruling of the lower court which upheld an anti-homosexuality law signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni.
The provision of the legislation includes death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
The country’s constitutional court had in April declined to void Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA).
Activists who want the law voided have argued that it violates fundamental rights of citizens and was unconstitutional.
The lower court only nullified a few sections that it said were inconsistent with rights to health, privacy and freedom of religion.
According to rights groups, the law has triggered escalating violations against sexual minorities in the country, with over 1,000 cases recorded in the last nine months involving arrests, torture and house evictions, among others.
One of the lawyers of those pushing for the reversal of the law, Nicholas Opiyo said on the X platform: “We will wait for the Supreme Court’s directions and are optimistic for an expedited hearing of the case.”
The petitioners, who include a lawmaker and Uganda’s most prominent LGBTQ rights campaigner Frank Mugisha, said the constitutional court had erred in dismissing their argument that the law violates “the right to human dignity and protection from inhumane and degrading treatment,” according to court documents sighted by Reuters.
Heritage Times HT reports that under the law described as draconian, same-sex intercourse is punishable by life in prison while so called aggravated homosexuality attracts a death sentence, among other harsh penalties.
Also, promotion of homosexuality is banned and offenders can face up to 20 years in jail.
Several African countries have tightened the grip on same-sex relations, amidst condemnation by western powers.
Recently, Ghana proposed anti-homosexual legislation which seeks to jail LGBTQ advocates for ten years.
It also proposes three-year imprisonment for people who identify as gays.
The proposed legislation also makes the funding of LGBTQ activities illegal.
In the West African country, same-sex union among men is already illegal, but the new bill has included lesbianism as well as marriage to objects.
Earlier in the week, the Burkina Faso Junta-led government said it will punish same-sex union without giving further details.
