Acción de Amnistía Internacional en Uganda‏ ¡Participa!

Desde el equipo de Minorías Sexuales y Derechos Humanos de Amnistía Internacional se nos pide que hagamos de puente con nuestros lectores para conseguir entre todos la retirada del proyecto de ley que en estos momentos se discute en Uganda y que persigue endurecer aún más la persecución de las personas homosexuales en ese país.

En caso de ser aprobada, la ley supondría que las personas homosexuales se enfrentarían en Uganda a pena de cadena perpetua o -en algunos casos, como las personas seropositivas- de muerte. Las personas u organizaciones que las ayudaran o que simplemente no las denunciaran se enfrentarían también a penas de prisión y multas.

La acción consiste en enviar la siguiente carta, en inglés, a la señora Elizabeth Paule Napeyok, embajadora de Uganda en Francia, España y Portugal y ante la UNESCO:

Dear Ambassador/High Commissioner,

We would like to express our outrage at a number of provisions in the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which is currently before Parliament in Uganda and to call on you to urge Parliamentarians and the government to ensure that the Bill is not passed into law.

If passed, the bill would institutionalise discrimination against those who are, or who are thought to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. It would reinforce the existing prohibition against consensual sex between individuals of the same sex—legislation that is itself contrary to international norms. The bill would go further, purporting to criminalise the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality, compelling HIV testing in certain circumstances, imposing life sentences for entering into a same-sex marriage, introducing the death penalty for ‘aggravated’ homosexuality, and punishing those who fail to report knowledge of any violations of these sweeping provisions within 24 hours.

In sum, the bill would violate the principle of non-discrimination and would lead to violations of the human rights to freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, liberty and security of the person, privacy, the highest attainable standard of health, and life. These rights are guaranteed under Uganda’s Constitution and in international and regional treaties to which Uganda is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter).

Yours sincerely

La carta puede ser dirigida a la siguiente dirección:

Excma. Sra. Elizabeth Paule Napeyok
13 Avenue Raymond Poincaré – 75116 PARIS
Fax: 33 145 05 21 22
E-mail: uganda.embassy@club-internet.fr