OAN’s Abril Elfi
1:14 PM – Tuesday, December 5, 2023
The United States has expanded a Visa restriction policy on Ugandan and Zimbabwean officials.
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In addition to announcing the visa restrictions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also brought up the marginalization of civil society advocates in Zimbabwe and Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community.
No specific official was mentioned by name in Blinken’s remarks.
“Today, I am announcing the expansion of the visa restriction policy to include current or former Ugandan officials or others who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Uganda or for policies or actions aimed at repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations,” Blinken said on Monday. “These groups include, but are not limited to, environmental activists, human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQI+ persons, and civil society organizers.”
As a country that is considered to have some of the strictest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, Uganda’s bill was passed in May and imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes HIV transmission through gay sex.
Following the law’s passage, the U.S. State Department placed restrictions on Ugandan officials’ ability to travel in June.
Additionally, the State Department had previously restricted Ugandan officials’ access to visas after the nation’s 2021 elections, which it deemed to be “flawed.”
According to Blinken’s claims, a new visa restriction policy had been undermining Zimbabwean democracy.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in August and some have criticized the election results, calling it a “gigantic fraud” and claiming that it did not adhere to international and regional “norms.”
“Anyone who undermines the democratic process in Zimbabwe — including in the lead-up to, during, and following Zimbabwe’s August 2023 elections — may be found ineligible for U.S. visas under this policy,” Blinken said.
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