A spokesman says Museveni is not opposed to the penalties of the bill, but wants lawmakers to study “the issue of rehabilitation.”
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has refused to sign into law a controversial new law against homosexuality, which in some cases prescribes the death penalty, asking for it to be changed.
Museveni’s decision was announced late Thursday after a meeting of lawmakers in his ruling party, nearly all of whom support the bill passed by lawmakers last month.
The assembly decided to return the bill to the national assembly “with proposals for improvement,” a statement said.
A spokesman for the presidency said Museveni was not opposed to the sentences proposed in the bill, but wanted lawmakers to consider “the question of rehabilitation”.
“[Museveni] told members he had no objection to the punishments, but to the issue of rehabilitation of those who have committed homosexuality in the past but want to return to a normal life,” spokesperson Sandor Walusimbi said on Twitter.
“It has been agreed that the bill will go back to parliament to review the rehabilitation issues before he can sign it into law,” Walusimbi added.
Homosexuality is already illegal in the East African country under a colonial-era law that criminalizes sexual acts “against the order of nature”. The penalty for that crime is life imprisonment.
International pressure
Museveni is under pressure from the international community to veto the bill, which needs his signature to become law.
The United States has warned of economic consequences if the legislation passes. A group of experts from the United Nations has described the bill, if passed, as “a flagrant violation of human rights”.
Amnesty International had issued a statement earlier on Thursday urging Museveni to veto what the group described as a “draconian and overly broad” bill.
“The passing of this appalling bill is a heartbreaking moment for the LGBTI community and their loved ones in Uganda,” Agnes Callamard, the leader of the group, said in the statement. “No one should ever be criminalized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The bill has broad support in Uganda, including among church leaders and others who have called for a tough new law targeting homosexuals. It was introduced by an opposition lawmaker who said his aim was to sanction the “promotion, recruitment and financing” of LGBTQ activities in the country.
Only two of the 389 lawmakers present for the vote opposed the bill.
Capital punishment
The bill prescribes the death penalty for the offense of “aggravated homosexuality” and life imprisonment for “homosexuality”.
Aggravated homosexuality is defined as cases of sexual relations with people infected with HIV, minors and other categories of vulnerable people.
Prison sentences of up to 20 years are proposed for those defending or promoting the rights of LGBTQ people.
A defendant convicted of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” could face 14 years in prison, and the offense of “attempted homosexuality” could be punished by up to 10 years under the bill.
Anti-gay sentiment in Uganda has grown in recent weeks amid press reports of sodomy in boarding schools, including a prestigious one for boys where a parent accused a teacher of abusing her son.