Alleged angry pro-gay attack Uganda house in New York

Damaged Uganda House in New York. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • According to a tweet by Uganda’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Mr Adonia Ayebare, it is alleged that the perpetrators were angry about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that was passed by Parliament this week.

A violent incident occurred at Uganda House in New York where yet to be identified individuals attacked and damaged the building’s entrance door and injured its occupants.

According to a tweet by Uganda’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Mr Adonia Ayebare, it is alleged that the perpetrators were angry about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that was passed by Parliament this week.

“Violent incident at Uganda House New York, an individual yet to be identified damaged a glass of a rear entrance door and injured a South Sudanese Diplomat,” Mr Ayebare’s tweet read in part.

Mr Ayebare noted that the injured South Sudanese diplomat is renting the premises.

“The police is on the scene, fortunately our CCTv cameras captured the incident. Too early to establish the motive. But the individual was reportedly angry about the Bill passed by the UG (Uganda) Parliament on LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). More details to follow,” he added.

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 amidst mixed reactions from several stakeholders, with death as a penalty for the offence of aggravated homosexuality. 

Budama West MP, Fox Odoi, a former head of State House legal department, who was also among the lead petitioners in the 2014 case where court quashed the old anti-gay law, presented a minority report in which he argued that the legislation passed yesterday was unnecessary, duplicates offences and penalties already specified in the Penal Code Act and breaches individual rights on whom to love.  

Among other penalties, the offence of homosexuality or promoting it is punishable by 20 years in jail. Legal entities found culpable of any of the offences face a Shs1b fine and a decade-long suspension of their activities. Failure to report an attempted or acts of homosexuality is punishable by Shs100m fine or imprisonment for six months, or both.

During consultations meeting on the Bill by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, the proposed law attracted mixed reactions with lawyers, academics and the Attorney General quashing it for replicating the already existing penalties in the Penal Code Act.