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In a significant ruling, Uganda's constitutional court upheld key provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a law that has stirred international controversy.
The decision led to the U.S. expelling Uganda from a preferential trade deal and prompted the World Bank and other organizations to suspend development funding.
Justice Richard Buteera announced the court's decision, stating that while some sections of the law were struck down, many parts were deemed consistent with Uganda's constitution.
The upheld provisions include imposing prison terms of up to 20 years for promoting homosexuality and criminalizing teaching that same-sex attraction is natural.
The court also affirmed existing legislation allowing life imprisonment for same-sex intercourse.
However, the court nullified other sections, such as those criminalizing operating premises for homosexual activities or failing to report homosexual acts to the police.
"We find that such provisions violate the right to privacy," Buteera said, emphasizing that some parts of the law also infringed on the right to health as enshrined in Ugandan laws.
The court further struck down a provision allowing the death penalty for the unintentional transmission of HIV and other terminal illnesses during same-sex relations.
It upheld the death penalty for other crimes categorized as "aggravated homosexuality," including same-sex relations with a minor or a disabled person.
Ugandan gay-rights activist Frank Mugisha, one of the petitioners challenging the law, announced plans to appeal the ruling at Uganda's Supreme Court, expressing concern about potential violence against the LGBTQ community.
Since the law was enacted, many openly gay Ugandans have gone into hiding, and hundreds have fled the country.
Dozens have been arrested and charged under the legislation in Ugandan courts.
The legislation has strong support in Ugandan society, which is predominantly Christian and socially conservative.
However, it has faced intense international criticism, with the U.S., the European Union, and the United Nations condemning it for violating human rights and hindering efforts to combat HIV and AIDS.
In response, the Biden administration expelled Uganda from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, making Ugandan goods ineligible for preferential access to the U.S. market. Washington also imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials and redirected financing for HIV and AIDS relief to nongovernmental organizations.
The World Bank suspended lending for new projects in Uganda, and the Netherlands froze security assistance to the country.
Despite these measures, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has sought to downplay their impact, accusing donors of undermining Uganda's sovereignty.
He has lobbied Western donors to delay sanctions until the court ruled on the law.
In 2014, a Ugandan court overturned an earlier anti-gay law, ruling that it had been passed without the necessary number of lawmakers present.
Human Rights Watch researcher Oryem Nyeko criticized Wednesday's ruling, saying it reinforces violence and discrimination against LGBT people in Uganda.