UGANDA: Constitutional Court Strikes Down Anti-Homosexuality Act

Via the BBC:

Uganda's Constitutional Court has annulled tough anti-gay legislation signed into law in February. It ruled that the bill was passed by MPs in December without the requisite quorum and was therefore illegal. Homosexual acts were already illegal, but the new law allowed for life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality" and banned the "promotion of homosexuality". Several donors have cut aid to Uganda since the law was adopted. "The retrogressive anti-homosexuality act of Uganda has been struck down by the constitutional court - it's now dead as a door nail," the AFP news agency quotes prominent journalist Andrew Mwenda, one of the petitioners, as saying. Kosiya Kasibayo, a lawyer for the state, said a decision had not been made on whether to appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court, the Associate Press news agency reports. The BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga in the capital, Kampala, says supporters of the anti-gay laws have been angered by the ruling of the five judges. They wonder whether their decision has anything to do with the president's visit to Washington next week for the US-Africa Summit, she says.

Pastor Martin "Eat Da Poo Poo" Ssempa says that he will demand that the parliament "investigate the impartiality" of the judges. Since the bill was stricken on a technicality, we can expect a push for its re-passage. However, it's possible that the international backlash and loss of foreign aid will mean that the bill will, this time, face an uphill battle.