the parliament of Uganda passed a law on Tuesday provides for harsh punishments for people who have homosexual relationships.

“The yes wins”, announced the President of the Chamber, Annet Anita Among, after the final vote, emphasizing that “the law was passed in record time”.

The deputies have made significant changes to the original text, which It provided sentences of up to 10 years in prison for people who engaged in acts considered homosexual or claimed to be part of the LGBT+ community, in a country where homosexuality is already illegal.

The amount of the new penalties is not yet known at this time.

“This Parliament will not hesitate to restrict any right insofar as it recognizes, protects and safeguards the sovereignty of this country and its morals,” Among said.

The law must now be signed by President Yoweri Museveni, who can sign it or veto it.

This mood in Uganda comes amid a wave of homophobia in East Africa, where homosexuality is illegal and often considered a crime.

President Museveni, in power since 1986, called gays “deviant” last week. A few days later, Ugandan police arrested six people for “homosexual practices”.

Where is gay marriage still illegal?

Uganda has strict anti-homosexuality laws, a legacy of British colonial laws, although there have been no convictions for consensual same-sex sexual practices since independence in 1962.

The 2014 attempt to pass a law providing for life imprisonment for such relationships was ultimately blocked by the Ugandan court.