While Amama Mbabazi believes homosexuals are still 'abnormal', he says they should not face life imprisonment or the death penalty
Uganda’s Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi has said homosexuals should not be killed.
In the strongest political opposition to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill yet, the leader was speaking at the Foreign Affairs Ministry where he was meeting with Ambassadors from foreign missions.
While still describing homosexuality as ‘abnormal’, and likened LGBTI people to ‘mongrels’, Mbabazi said they should still not face life imprisonment or death.
‘I think in our tradition homosexuality is treated as an abnormality,’ he said.
‘Given that as a fact, the next question is how do we treat abnormalities in our society? Do we kill them?
‘If you identify an abnormality and you say ‘Let’s kill homos’, then my conclusion is that you are the one that is abnormal.
‘They need help. How do you treat children who are mongrels? Do you kill them, imprison them for life?’
This was one of the first times Mbabazi spoke in front of foreign officials since Uganda’s Auditor General discovered $13 million of foreign aid had been funnelled into accounts linked to the PM’s office.
Due to this, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark suspended foreign aid to Uganda.
The PM opposed parliament voting on the anti-gay bill at all, as there was not enough members of parliament attended to deliver a fair vote. Despite this, it was passed on 20 December.
Originally the bill punished people who had gay sex with the death penalty if they were a ‘repeat offender’, but this was dropped from the passed legislation in favor of life imprisonment.
The bill now also bans the promotion of homosexuality.
The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is awaiting assent from President Yoweri Museveni.
Source: Gay Star News, January 6, 2014
