Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-17-Speech-4-249"
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"en.20091217.21.4-249"2
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"Mr President, the Commission is deeply concerned over the draft anti-homosexuality bill introduced recently in the Ugandan Parliament. The bill, if adopted, raises serious human rights issues which are of great importance to the Commission.
The Commission considers that the penalisation of homosexuality, as foreseen in the bill, would go against the UN human rights conventions. Uganda has ratified these conventions. Thereby it has the legal obligation to respect them, without distinction or discrimination. Domestic legislation must be consistent with international human rights obligations. The bill would also go against the EU-supported UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity of 18 December 2008 regarding the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Commissioner De Gucht personally raised these concerns in a letter to President Museveni last November. He emphasised that respect for human rights is of the greatest importance to the Commission and to the European Parliament. However, he expressed his confidence to the President that, under his guidance, such retrogressive legislation will not be allowed.
The Presidency and the Heads of Mission in Uganda also raised this issue with the Ugandan Government on several occasions, during meetings with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, in Article 8 meetings, and with the Uganda Human Rights Commission. In its latest démarche on 3 December, the EU Presidency and the local troika met the acting Foreign Minister, to whom they again expressed these serious concerns, confirmed their support for fundamental freedoms and reminded Uganda of its international obligations. The Minister, while mentioning traditional values and cultural traditions that take time to change and alleging evidence of orchestrated campaigns to take advantage of poor people and recruit them into homosexuality, took note of the EU positions and committed himself to reporting them personally to the Cabinet and to Parliament in order to enable them to take an informed decision.
The Commission hopes that, in the vein and in the spirit of the ongoing EU-Uganda partnership, these démarches, together with those of others, will lead to a review of the proposed legislation to make it compatible with international principles of non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."@en1
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