Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday refused to sign the controversial anti-LGBTQ bill into law, requesting that it should be amended, reported Aljazeera.
Museveni made the announcement on Thursday after a meeting of parliamentarians in his ruling party, almost all of whom support the bill approved by lawmakers last month.
A spokesman for the presidency said the Ugandan president was not opposed to the punishments proposed in the bill, but wanted parliamentarians to look into the issue of rehabilitation.
“[Museveni] told the members that he had no objections to the punishments but on the issue of rehabilitation of the persons who have in the past been engaged in homosexuality but would like to live normal lives again,” spokesman Sandor Walusimbi said on Twitter.
Walusimbi added that the president and the parliamentarians have agreed to send the bill back to the parliament to discuss the issues related to rehabilitation before the bill is finally signed into law.
Notably, Uganda has already made Same-sex relations illegal, as they are in more than 30 African countries. But anti-LGBTQ supporters have called for stronger legislation to combat the threat homosexuality presents to traditional family values.
The new controversial bill prescribes the death penalty for the offense of aggravated homosexuality, and life imprisonment for homosexuality. A jail term of up to 20 years has been proposed for those who advocate or promote the rights of LGBTQ people.
President Museveni is under pressure from the international community to veto the bill, which requires his signature to become law.
The United States has warned of economic consequences if the Ugandan government approves the legislation. United Nations experts have also said that the bill, if enacted, would amount to an egregious violation of human rights”.
On Thursday, Amnesty International also urged Museveni in a statement to veto the “draconian and overly broad” bill.
