Gay-rights activists in Uganda and around the world are celebrating a decision by the country’s constitutional court to strike down a widely condemned anti-gay law on a legal technicality, The UK Guardian reported.
A five-judge panel ruled Aug. 1 that the speaker of parliament acted illegally when she allowed a vote on the measure despite at least three objections that not enough MPs (members of Parliament) were in attendance.
The statute banned the “promotion of homosexuality” and enabled life sentences to be imposed for various same-sex acts, including touching in public or living in a same-sex marriage.
However, activists warned that homosexuality remains a criminal offense in the African country under colonial-era laws.