Stop Uganda's Gay Death Penalty - the pressure is building!

This is from Avaaz:

Dear friends,

Uganda's parliament is set to pass a law that punishes gay people with prison or death -- but a massive global outcry to stop this brutal bill is rising fast:

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 looks set to be passed -- threatening widespread persecution and bloodshed.

Opposition to the bill is rising, including from the Anglican church. Ugandan gay rights advocate Frank Mugisha 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. The global petition to stop the gay death law has passed 300,000 signatures in a few days and rising fast.



The petition will be delivered to President Museveni and the parliament at the end of this week by top Ugandan civil society and Church leaders. Museveni has already opposed a march by anti-gay extremists this week, showing that our pressure is working!

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 build massive support for Uganda’s human rights defenders, and save lives by stopping this bill.



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:
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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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. I thought that you would want to join me. Hundreds of thousands have signed and pressure is mounting, but there are only a few days left. Please sign the petition here:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uganda_rights_3/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK


Thanks!