Ugandan Church leader says don’t kill gays… just put them in jail

10/25/09-by Paula Brooks 300px-Prison_cell
Ugandan Anglican church leader, Bishop Stanley Ntagali, has rejected proposals that gays should face the death penalty for sexual assault in some cases, but says that prison terms should remain as a deterrent.

The Ugandan parliament is currently considering a proposed law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” involving assault against people under the age of 18 or those with disabilities. The draft law says it aims to “protect the traditional family by prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex.”

“We want to state categorically that homosexuality is unacceptable,” Ntagali told Ecumenical News International in an interview.

“I think the death penalty is not acceptable,” Ntagali said, “I think taking someone to jail for a period of time would be sufficient.”

Being gay is already a criminal offence in Uganda, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment.

The new measure, introduced by lawmaker David Bahati, proposes a seven-year jail term for anyone who “attempts to commit the offence” or who “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality.”

The new law would also punish the publishing of information, the provision of funds or premises for homosexual activities with a seven-year jail sentence or a fine equivalent to $50,000.

Ntagali said the church views gays as sinners who can repent and reform. “We have to be a moral fiber of the society,” he stated.

According to Human Rights Watch there has been increased in recent months campaigning against homosexuality in Uganda, led by churches and anti-gay groups.

In an October 15 statement, Human Rights Watch said people suspected of being gay face death threats and been physically assaulted. Many of them have faced rejection by their families or discrimination, including dismissal from their employment.

According to the census of 2002, Christians made up about 84% of Uganda’s population, with the Roman Catholic Church having the largest number of adherents at 41.9% of the population, followed by the Anglican Church of Uganda.

Uganda’s respect for human rights has never been good; Political opponents to the government are routinely imprisoned and torture continues to be a widespread practice amongst Ugandan security organizations.

In northern Uganda, children as young as eight are kidnapped by an organization known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, a group of Christian fundamentalists whose aim is to topple the current Ugandan government and replace it with one based on the Bible, to work as soldiers or be used as sex slaves.