This is an update of an article published in February that can be accessed here
In a ruling Monday morning a Ugandan Court authorized an attack on LGBT rights organizations under the guise of combating homosexuality.
Uganda’s High Court Judge dismissed the case brought against Ugandan Minister of Ethics Simon Lokodo which alleged that the official violated the rights of LGBT
activist who were taking part in a training workshop held in 2012 by Ugandan organization Freedom and Roam which was partnered with Swedish organization RFSL. (The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgend
er Rights).
The ruling essentially found, although a written version of it is yet to be available, that Lokodo had not violated any basic rights because the event was promoting homosexuality, which is an illegal activity.
The United States (along with Norway, Denmark and Sweden) has already taken action against Uganda and its policy’s discontinuing or redirecting funds for programs in Uganda. This has directly affected Uganda’s shilling which has weakened to its lowest level in 15 months after the United States announced its reduction in aid on June 19 in direct retaliation to a February law that toughened punishment against homosexuals, at times imposing death.
Although these sanctions are directly affecting Uganda it has been noted that the a weaker currency may actually affect the Ugandans whose rights the nations seek to
preserve. Its unclear whether a reduction in aid will truly affect a nation’s economy which heavily exploits natural resources such as metals and oil.
The United States has also restricted the travel of som
e Ugandan governmental officials who have been involved in “serious human rights abuses”, frozen finance that was reserved for certain governmental programs and cancelled a scheduled military aviation exercise but that leads to the question, is the United States truly doing enough or can more be done to admonish the clearly discriminatory and oppressive acts of the Ugandan government.
