Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has criticised Ugandan President President Yoweri Museveni over his approval of controversial anti-homosexuality laws.
Two weeks ago, Museveni told members of his governing party he would sign the Bill – prescribing life imprisonment for “aggravated homosexuality” – that was passed by parliament late last year.
However, Museveni has come under fire from UN AIDS which warned that Uganda’s progress in tackling the country’s HIV epidemic could be reversed if the law is passed.
And Tutu has equated discrimination against gay people to the horrors of Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa.
“We must be entirely clear about this: the history of people is littered with attempts to legislate against love or marriage across class, caste, and race. But there is no scientific basis or genetic rationale for love. There is only the grace of God.
”There is no scientific justification for prejudice and discrimination, ever. Nor is there any moral justification. Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa, among others, attest to these facts,” he said.
Tutu urged Museveni to use the debate to strengthen the culture of human rights and justice in Uganda, and clamp down on sexual exploitation rather than orientation.
