November 21, 2014 – Reported by The Globe & Mail – Two African countries have recently moved to implement anti-gay laws that could sentence people found guilty of “homosexual acts” with life in prison.
The president of Gambia has signed a bill into law that calls for life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, while in Uganda, drafters of a revised anti-gay law want parliament to pass it in time to be a “Christmas gift” for Ugandans, a lawmaker said on Friday.
A copy of Gambia’s legislation, which was obtained by the Associated Press on Friday, indicates that President Yahya Jammeh signed it on Oct. 9, though no government officials have yet publicly notified the country of the new law. Mr. Jammeh, one of Africa’s most vocal anti-gay leaders, instructed gays and lesbians in 2008 to leave the country or risk decapitation.
Lawmakers approved the legislation in August, prompting an outcry from organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch…