[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1324 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1324
Condemning Uganda's undemocratic human rights regression.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 26, 2024
Mr. Takano (for himself, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Norton, Mr. Pocan, Mrs.
Ramirez, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Moulton, Ms.
Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Robert Garcia of California, Mr. Torres of New
York, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Sherman, Ms.
Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Balint, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Gottheimer,
Mr. Johnson of Georgia, and Mr. Nadler) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning Uganda's undemocratic human rights regression.
Whereas, since 1986, Uganda has been led by President Yoweri Museveni;
Whereas, according to the United States Department of State 2023 Human Rights
Report, human rights issues in Uganda included credible reports of
extrajudicial killings, forced disappearance, torture by government
agencies, serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media,
censorship, interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and
association, crimes involving violence or threats targeting lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) persons, human
rights defenders, journalists, and other marginalized populations, and
the existence of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct
between adults;
Whereas consensual same-sex sexual conduct has been illegal in Uganda according
to a colonial-era law that criminalizes ``carnal knowledge of any person
against the order of nature'', carrying a punishment of up to life
imprisonment;
Whereas, in December 2013, the Parliament of Uganda passed the country's first
Anti-Homosexuality Act that broadened the criminalization of consensual
same-sex sexual relations and penalties for individuals, companies, and
nongovernmental organizations that aid, abet, counsel, or procures
another to ``engage in acts of homosexuality'';
Whereas, in 2014, President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Anti-
Homosexuality Act;
Whereas international condemnation was immediate in response to the 2014 Ugandan
law;
Whereas the United States issued aid, police, travel, and military sanctions
against Uganda in response to the Anti-Homosexuality Act;
Whereas the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the act invalid on procedural
grounds;
Whereas, in March 2023, the Parliament of Uganda introduced and passed a new
version of the Anti-Homosexuality Act that mirrored the legislation
signed into law in 2014 and introduced the death penalty even for some
consensual acts;
Whereas, in April 2023, President Museveni returned the Anti-Homosexuality Act
to the Parliament of Uganda for unsubstantial revisions;
Whereas, on May 2, 2023, the Parliament of Uganda passed an amended version of
the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which maintained harsh penalties;
Whereas, on May 26, 2023, President Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act;
Whereas the Anti-Homosexuality Act includes, among other things, life
imprisonment for consensual same-sex sexual conduct, the death penalty
for individuals who commit the ``offence of homosexuality'' under
certain circumstances, and 20 years of imprisonment for the ``promotion
of homosexuality,'' which includes operating an organization that
``promotes or encourages homosexuality or the observance and
normalization of [homosexual] conduct'';
Whereas, on May 29, 2023, President Biden stated that ``the enactment of
Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act is a tragic violation of universal human
rights . . . that jeopardizes the prospects of critical economic growth
for the entire country'' and followed that statement by restricting
Uganda's trade privileges, enacting new sanctions and visa restrictions,
reducing direct support to the Government of Uganda, and increasing
assistance to victims of human rights abuse;
Whereas the joint statement by the leaders of the Global Fund, the United
Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act stated that the
Anti-Homosexuality Act ``will obstruct health education and the outreach
that can help end AIDS as a public health threat'' and that ``LGBTQI+
people in Uganda increasingly fear for their safety and security, and
increasing numbers of people are being discouraged from seeking vital
health services for fear of attack, punishment and further
marginalization'';
Whereas, in August 2023, the World Bank announced that it would pause all
lending to Uganda, stating that the Anti-Homosexuality Act
``fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group's values,'' and that
their ``vision to eradicate poverty on a livable planet can only succeed
if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality'';
Whereas the Anti-Homosexuality Act has had severe impacts on LGBTQI+ Ugandans
through its government-sanctioned violence, societal vigilantism, and
further marginalization of those perceived or actual LGBTQI+
individuals;
Whereas under the legal enforcement of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which began
in September 2023, human rights groups on the ground reported a marked
uptick within the last 8 months in police violence, harassment, assault,
evictions, job loss, and arrests of LGBTQI+ persons and individuals
believed to be LGBTQI+, including--
(1) over 434 cases of evictions;
(2) 69 arrests;
(3) 309 cases of violence, including physical violence, forced outing,
threats, online attacks, police raids, and blackmail and extortion;
(4) 108 cases of violations of an individual's civil liberties and
right to freedom from discrimination, including loss of employment,
exclusion from social services, family rejection, and denial of a passport;
and
(5) 1253 total human rights violations and abuses;
Whereas the Anti-Homosexuality Act has had a negative impact on health service
providers and limited access to health care for LGBTQI+ persons,
including denial of services to LGBTQI+ patients and a reluctance on the
part of LGBTQI+ Ugandans to seek care for fear of being reported to the
police;
Whereas the impact on seeking and delivery of HIV/AIDS-related services has been
particularly acute for LGBTQI+ persons due to fear of being reported to
law enforcement;
Whereas reports from community members indicate that landlords and hoteliers
continue to evict members of the LGBTQI+ community and LGBTQI+
organizations from properties due to the threat of prosecution for
housing someone who violates one of the many provisions of the Anti-
Homosexuality Act, increasing LGBTQI+ persons' challenge to find safe
housing;
Whereas, on April 3, 2024, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled that all but
two sections and two subsections of the Anti-Homosexuality Act were
constitutional, upholding the Act as the law of the land and entrenching
its disregard of Ugandans' rights and their life, liberty, freedom, and
equality; and
Whereas the dangers posed by this democratic backsliding are a threat to
everyone residing in Uganda, including foreign government personnel, the
staff of nongovernmental organization implementing partners, visitors
and tourists, members of the business community, and Ugandans
themselves: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the Government of Uganda's criminalization and
draconian punishments regarding consensual same-sex sexual
conduct and so-called ``promotion of homosexuality'';
(2) calls on the Government of Uganda to expeditiously
repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act; and
(3) supports the continuation of existing sanctions imposed
with respect to the Government of Uganda, including
restrictions on visas to enter the United States for current
and former Ugandan officials involved in repressing
marginalized populations, business and travel advisories with
respect to activities in Uganda, and reduction of support to
the Government of Uganda, until the Anti-Homosexuality Act is
repealed.
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