A new law in Uganda makes it a crime to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ).

The law which was passed on Tuesday in parliament includes penalties such as life imprisonment and death penalty.

BODEX BLOG had reported how the east African country was considering passing the law.

The proposed bill also threatened landlords who rent houses to gay people with a prison sentence.

According to Human Rights Watch, Uganda’s new law is the first to punish those merely identifying as LGBTQ.

The country’s penal codes permit life imprisonment for same-sex relations but the new law passes a death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality”.

Aggravated homosexuality involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.

As well as making identifying as gay illegal, friends, family and members of the community would have a duty to report individuals in same-sex relationships to the authorities.

People who “promote” homosexuality and “abet” and “conspire” to engage in same-sex relations also face threats.

Videos on social media showed widespread support in Uganda’s parliament after the bill was passed.

Cheers and applause in Uganda parliament as new bill making it illegal to identify as LGBT passes https://t.co/qkPQsB5nNe pic.twitter.com/Svmasv95qQ

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 22, 2023

Human right groups and LGBTQ activists have since kicked against Uganda’s new law, saying it is “repressive” and would lead to fear of more attacks on gay people in the already deeply conservative east African country.

Same-sex relations are banned in about 30 African countries including Nigeria.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

In a press statement on Friday, the ICC said the warrant became necessary following the applications submitted by the prosecution on February 22, 2023.

The ICC said Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the crimes committed in Ukrainian territory from February 24, 2022.

The court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, the commissioner for children’s rights in the office of the president of the Russian Federation, on similar allegations.

“Today, 17 March 2023, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) issued warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova,” the statement reads.

“Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born on 7 October 1952, President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of the population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute).

“The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian-occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, (i) for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others, and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute),

“And (ii) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility (article 28(b) of the Rome Statute).

“Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, born on 25 October 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute).

“The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian-occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Ms Lvova-Belova bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes, for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).”

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been ranked as the 10th deadliest terror group in the world.

IPOB is a separatist group proscribed and declared a terrorist organisation in 2017 by the federal government.

In the 2023 global terrorism index (GTI) ranking, IPOB is said to be responsible for 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022 – considered the group’s deadliest year.

In the GTI, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), an independent and non-profit think tank, the Islamic state topped the ranking with 1,045 deaths and 410 attacks.

Al- Shabaab ranked next with 784 deaths and 315 attacks while Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISK) recorded 498 deaths and 141 attacks; Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), 279 deaths and 77 attacks; Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), 233 deaths and 30 attacks.

The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ranked 6th with 219 deaths and 65 attacks followed by Boko Haram which is responsible for 204 deaths and 64 attacks.

The reports also showed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as recording 137 deaths and 90 attacks, followed by Islamic State – Sinai Province with 71 deaths and 27 attacks, and then IPOB as number 10th.

“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), designated as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government in 2017, recorded their deadliest year in 2022,” the report reads.

“They were responsible for 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022, an increase from 26 attacks and 34 deaths the year prior. IPOB is a separatist movement with many factions, many of which are seeking a peaceful succession from Nigeria.”