Uganda’s parliament is considering medieval legislation against gays.

The bill proposes life imprisonment for anyone convicted of having same-sex relations, or even intending to do so. It imposes the death penalty for ‘serial offender’ homosexuals and gay people living with AIDS.

Members of the public face up to three years in jail if they fail to report any homosexual activity to police within 24 hours. And NGOs working with the gay community on HIV prevention or human rights could be imprisoned for up to 7 years for ‘promoting homosexuality’. Source: Avaaz.

In the words of Avaaz

Click below to sign the petition, and pass this message on to friends and family. Across Africa and the world, let’s send a united message that we reject persecution and denial of human rights everywhere:

SIGN THE PETITION!

SOURCES

African letter to Ugandan President to throw out Anti-homosexual bill: Uganda — Anti-homosexuality bill violates human rights:

Ugandan church leader brands anti-gay bill ‘genocide’:

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexual bill:

Uganda anti-gay bill may change, says MP Bahati:

The U.S. Christian Right and the Attack on Gays in Africa:

Human Rights Impact Assessment of Uganda’s Anti-homosexuality Bill By Sylvia Tamale, The Dean of Law at Uganda’s Makerere University:

For many years Shell have been accused of putting profit before human rights and the company has just settled a 13-year court case for $15.5m (£9.7m).

Royal Dutch Shell has agreed a $15.5m (£9.7m) out-of-court settlement in a case accusing it of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria.

It was brought by relatives of nine anti-oil campaigners, including author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged in 1995 by Nigeria’s then military rulers. BBC.

Shell of course doesn’t admit any liability its spokesman Malcolm Brinded said.

“While we were prepared to go to court to clear our name, we believe the right way forward is to focus on the future for Ogoni people, which is important for peace and stability in the region.” BBC.

Or is it the fact that Shell’s oil production in the region has all but stopped? Nearly £10m is a drop in the ocean compared to the profits Shell stands to make – don’t be fooled the settlement is nothing more than anything for a profit.

Justice at last – only if you measure justice in dollars.

I have a hatred of the Lib Dems born of years of campaigning against them – I have little love of the Tories either but at least you know where you stand with them. So the Lid Dems Freedom Bill leaves me in a quandary – should I hold my nose and support it or do I put it down as a Lib Dem PR exercise and move on? Well here’s their proposed bill:

• Scrap ID cards for everyone, including foreign nationals.

• Ensure that there are no restrictions in the right to trial by jury for serious offences including fraud.

• Restore the right to protest in Parliament Square, at the heart of our democracy.

• Abolish the flawed control orders regime.

• Renegotiate the unfair extradition treaty with the United States.

• Restore the right to public assembly for more than two people.

• Scrap the ContactPoint database of all children in Britain.

• Strengthen freedom of information by giving greater powers to the information commissioner and reducing exemptions.

• Stop criminalising trespass.

• Restore the public interest defence for whistleblowers.

• Prevent allegations of “bad character” from being used in court.

• Restore the right to silence when accused in court.

• Prevent bailiffs from using force.

• Restrict the use of surveillance powers to the investigation of serious crimes and stop councils snooping.

• Restore the principle of double jeopardy in UK law.

• Remove innocent people from the DNA database.

• Reduce the maximum period of pre-charge detention to 14 days.

• Scrap the ministerial veto that allowed the government to block the release of cabinet minutes relating to the Iraq war.

• Require explicit parental consent for biometric information to be taken from children.

• Regulate CCTV following a Royal Commission on cameras. Source: The Guardian.

See nothing much to argue with – still the Lib Dems can be comfortable in the fact that they’ll never be in a position to implement it – still I’ve held my nose and signed the petition.

If like me you’re against the Governments plans to push through a bill this autumn to lock people away for 42 days without charge if they are suspected of terrorism related offences then you should sign Amnesty’s petition – Say No To 42 Days!

Hat Tip: Chicken Yoghurt.

The Family Planning Association has set up a petition on Number10.gov.uk (The Official Site of the Prime Minister’s Office) to extend the 1976 abortion act to Northern Ireland. I urge you all to sign this petition now.

Hat Tip: Chicken Yoghurt.

The BBC reports that Bin Laden’s driver, Salim Hamdan, has been sentenced to 66 months by a tribunal at Guantanamo Bay. I don’t know if Salim Hamdan is guilty or not, what I do know is his trial is but a travesty of justice no other American court would allow “evidence” that may have been waterboarded out of shivering wretches in secret black site prisons?

Almost at the same time as we learn of Hamdan’s fate US President George W. Bush is lecturing China over its human rights record. Now, I’m not suggesting America’s record is as a bad as China’s, which is truly appalling, but how does Bush think Guantanamo Bay affects peoples perceptions? How many people believe Americans say one thing but do another, so like you President Bush I’ll carry on abusing my people’s human rights – America wake-up and smell the coffee!