Death Penalty Proposed for Gay Sex

(Kampala, Uganda) This week, a member of the Ugandan Parliament, David Bahati, proposed that the death penalty be imposed for "aggravated homosexuality" which is defined as "gay sex with disabled people, under-18s or when the accused is HIV-positive."

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has urged the bill to be dismissed.

They say it violates several international agreements Uganda has signed up to - as well as contradicting the country's own constitution.

But John Otekat Emile, an independent MP, said he believed the bill had a "99% chance" of being passed.

"Members of parliament are overwhelmingly supporting this bill because homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, and we have that clearly in the penal code," he told the BBC.

Reportedly, homosexual acts are illegal while declaring oneself a homosexual is not illegal. Consequently, few people are prosecuted since evidence of actual acts is difficult to obtain.