Ugandan Faces Execution Under New Anti-Gay Law

Reuters reports:

A 20-year-old man has become the first Ugandan to be charged with “aggravated homosexuality”, an offence punishable by death under the country’s recently enacted anti-gay law, prosecutors and his lawyer said.

The death penalty can apply in cases deemed “aggravated”, which include repeat offences, gay sex that transmits terminal illness, or same-sex intercourse with a minor, an elderly person or a person with disabilities.

According to a charge sheet seen by Reuters, the defendant was charged on Aug. 18 with aggravated homosexuality after he “performed unlawful sexual intercourse” with a 41-year-old man. It did not specify why the act was considered aggravated.

Read the full article. Photo: Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, who approved the law earlier this year. Activists have warned that the “aggravated” charge could be applied merely for having gay sex twice. Uganda is 85% Christian and Yoweri is a member of the Anglican Church of Uganda.