Stop Uganda's gay death law
I've just signed a petition calling on the Ugandan government to withdraw a proposed anti-gay law that would punish gay people with prison -- or even death. We only have days left and we need 1 million people to sign. Read more below, and sign the petition here:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_for_tolerance/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
Thanks!
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Dear friends,
Uganda’s parliament is preparing to pass a brutal new law that would punish gay people with prison -- even death.
Initial international criticism drove the President to call for a review. But after a well-funded and vicious lobbying effort by extremists, the bill could still pass -- threatening persecution and bloodshed.
Opposition to the bill is rising, including from the Anglican church. Ugandan gay rights advocate Frank writes, “This law will put us in serious danger. Please, sign the petition and tell others to stand with us – if there’s a huge global response, our government will see that Uganda will be internationally isolated by the proposed law, and strike it down.”
With the decision expected in days, only an irresistible wave of worldwide pressure will be enough to save Frank's life and many others. Let’s raise 1 million signatures to stop the gay death law -- click here to take action, then forward this email:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_for_tolerance/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
The petition will be delivered to President Museveni, members of the review committee and Ugandan embassies worldwide this week before it’s too late, as well as to key donor governments.
The bill proposes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of having same-sex relations and imposes the death penalty for “serial offenders”. NGOs working to prevent the spread of HIV could be imprisoned for up to 7 years for “promoting homosexuality”. Even members of the public face up to three years in jail if they fail to report homosexual activity to the police within 24 hours!
The bill’s advocates claim that it defends national culture, but its strongest critics come from within Uganda. The Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha is one of many who’s written to us – he says,
"It is violating our cultures, traditions and religious values that teach against intolerance, injustice, hatred and violence. We need laws to protect people -- not ones that will humiliate, ridicule, persecute and kill them en masse."
By rejecting this dangerous bill and supporting the breadth of opposition to it, we can help set a crucial precedent. Let’s raise 1 million signatures for Uganda’s human rights defenders, and save lives by stopping this bill -- sign now here, then tell friends and family:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_for_tolerance/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
With hope and determination,
Alice, Ricken, Ben, Paul, Benjamin, Pascal, Raluca, Graziela and the whole Avaaz team
SOURCES
African letter to Ugandan President to throw out Anti-homosexual bill: Uganda -- Anti-homosexuality bill violates human rights:
http://www.africafiles.org/article.asp?ID=22761
Ugandan church leader brands anti-gay bill 'genocide':
http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/2009/dec/04/gideon-byamugisha-homosexuality-bill
Human Rights Impact Assessment of Uganda's Anti-homosexuality Bill By Sylvia Tamale, The Dean of Law at Uganda's Makerere University:
http://www.zeleza.com/blogging/african-affairs/human-rights-impact-assessment-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill-sylvia-tamal
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Lying on the floor with no possibilities of breathing, he saw me approaching him... He moved a little but the pain was too strong for a run... I putted my hands on him... and he shivered for a few seconds... Trusting, he let me heal him, he let our energies feed until he was confortable, until he could breathe again... His sad eyes looked at me but his expression of fear and desperation was not towards me... His wise and old eyes were tired of feeling weak, not heard and not cared for... No one respected him... In his eyes was a question... a question with no answer and hurtful: Why?
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