Summary:

• The Constitutional Court of Uganda is hearing the first challenge against a strict anti-gay law criticized by the UN and subject to US visa restrictions, with petitioners, including human rights activists and law professors, seeking its repeal.

Kampala, Uganda | THE BLACK EXAMINER | The initial legal challenge against a stringent anti-gay law in Uganda has commenced in the Constitutional Court. This law has drawn criticism from the United Nations and resulted in the imposition of United States visa restrictions on government officials. Nicholas Opiyo, the representative for the petitioners, informed the court in Kampala on Monday that they had opted for written submissions rather than oral ones.

Uganda’s Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera, leading a panel of five judges at the Constitutional Court, stated, “Court shall give judgement on notice” during the hearing. As of now, no specific date has been scheduled for the court’s ruling.

In May, Uganda adopted one of the world’s most severe laws against homosexuality, triggering condemnation from human rights advocates and Western nations. US President Joe Biden even threatened to cut aid and investment to Kampala in response.

Despite this international pressure, President Yoweri Museveni’s government has maintained a defiant stance, accusing the West of attempting to coerce Africa into accepting homosexuality. The petitioners seeking the repeal of the law include various human rights activists, two law professors from Makerere University in Kampala, and two legislators from Museveni’s National Resistance Movement party.