UN Chief Ban Ki-moon: Striking down of Uganda’s anti-gay law is ‘great step forward’
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the striking down of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality act, hailing it as a “great step forward”.
This week Uganda’s Constitutional Court struck down the law, finding that the speaker of parliament acted illegally by moving ahead with a vote on it, despite at least three lawmakers objecting to a lack of quorum.
A statement from the UN chief celebrated the move, while hailing the “basic rights” of protecting sexual orientation and gender identity.
It reads: “The Secretary-General welcomes the decision by the Constitutional Court of Uganda to annul the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act as a victory for the rule of law.
“He pays tribute to all those who contributed to this step forward, particularly the human rights defenders in Uganda who spoke out, at times incurring great personal risk.
“The Secretary-General calls for further efforts to decriminalize same-sex relationships and address the stigma and discrimination that persist in Uganda against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that everyone is entitled to enjoy the same basic rights and live a life of worth and dignity without discrimination, as affirmed in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Ugandan Constitution and the recent resolution of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on protection against violence and other human rights violations against persons on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientation or gender identity.”
