Obama condemns Uganda anti-gay bill
Published:Thursday | February 4, 2010 | 5:15 PM
US President Barack Obama has criticised a proposed anti-homosexuality legislation in Uganda.
The bill calls for long jail terms or the death penalty in some cases of homosexual intercourse.
The US president has described the bill as odious and said its unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are.
Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda and punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The bill will raise that penalty to life in prison.
It also proposes the death penalty for a new offence of aggravated homosexuality, defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a serial offender.
The bill has already been widely criticized in Europe and the United States.