ts as well as President Obama and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the US House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs. I urge the House to give this the high importance which it deserves and to speak out for those in Uganda who currently are not being heard.
Marietje Schaake
author. - Mr President, last September, a member of the Ugandan Parliament introduced an 'anti-homosexuality bill'. This bill would criminalise homosexuality, leading to punishment by imprisonment and even the death penalty. This would not only apply to these alleged criminals but also to those who failed to report these so-called crimes, or who support human rights and other work in Uganda.
Our concern is that this would violate freedom of sexual orientation as well as freedom of expression, which are human rights: they are not just European values but universal values.
We also reject the death penalty as a whole and want to join the international community in its concern for NGOs which may have to cancel their activities working in Uganda.
We therefore join President Obama and others in the international community who have called for this bill not to be approved and for the review of any laws that would criminalise homosexuality in Uganda.
Charles Tannock
author. - Mr President, Uganda is a deeply Christian country where traditional values hold sway. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda as it is in many African countries. We must, of course, be sensitive about forcing our more liberal and tolerant values on others, because it can sometimes be counterproductive.
But we should not be afraid to speak out against this outrageous bill, because it is clearly a draconian and hugely disproportionate piece of legislation. It would not only be seriously detrimental to the safety and freedom of homosexuals in Uganda, but it would also tarnish the image of Uganda throughout the world and make it into a pariah.
Uganda has made many great strides in the past two decades and, in some ways, can be seen as a model for Africa's development. Why should Ug