Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1500345
14 WORLD maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 31 MAY 2023 RUSSIA is blaming Ukraine for a drone attack Tuesday morn- ing that damaged buildings in Moscow just days after Russian forces launched a drone attack on Ukraine's capital city of Ky- iv. The Russian defense ministry said on a post on Telegram that all eight of the drones were in- tercepted, including five that were shot down and three others whose systems were jammed, causing them to go off course. The defense ministry also called the drones a "terror- ist attack" by the "Kyiv regime." Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview with NBC News that Ukraine "has nothing directly to do" with the attacks on Moscow, adding that he was "pleased to observe and predict an increase in the number of attacks." The office of the Russian pros- ecutor general said that three residential buildings in Moscow were damaged. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sob- yanin said in a Telegram post that two people required med- ical attention as a result of the attacks but they did not need to be hospitalized. He said that the attacks caused "insignifi- cant damage" to the buildings and that the residents of two high-story buildings were evac- uated. The Associated Press report- ed that residents in the area heard explosions before dawn on Tuesday morning. The news service also noted that police were seen carrying away drone debris and that windows were shattered in some areas. Dmitri Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters that the defense ministry "acted well" in response to the attack, The New York Times reported. Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kyiv Saturday night that left at least one per- son dead. Ukraine was reportedly able to shoot down 52 out of the 54 drones launched on the capital during the attack. UGANDAN human rights ac- tivists are calling for sanctions against the authorities in their East African country after the en- actment of an "anti-homosexual- ity law" which they say "legalises homophobia and transphobia". President Yoweri Museveni ap- proved the law, considered to be one of the most repressive in the world despite warnings from in- ternational partners. Called the "Anti-Homosexuali- ty Act 2023", the law provides for heavy penalties for people who have homosexual relations and "promote" homosexuality. An offence of "aggravated ho- mosexuality" is punishable by death, a penalty that has not been applied for years in Uganda. "This is a key moment for inter- ested parties, such as the Unit- ed States and the EU, to move forward with sanctions against Ugandans involved in human rights violations", called a coali- tion of human rights organisa- tions in a statement published on Monday evening. This "dangerous and discrimi- natory" law criminalises "any de- fence of the rights of LGBTIQ+ Ugandans, punishing this legit- imate work with up to 20 years' imprisonment", the organisa- tions write. "This will destroy the fight against HIV", they add. "Criminalising and suppressing the legitimate defence of human rights is unacceptable in a true democracy", said Clare Byaruga- ba of Chapter Four Uganda, one of the organisations in the coali- tion, in the statement. Compromised relationship "Despite our concerted efforts to prevent the passage of the an- ti-homosexuality bill, the presi- dent has legalised homophobia and transphobia under state sponsorship", said Frank Mugi- sha, director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, also a member of the co- alition. The coalition has lodged an ap- peal with the Ugandan Constitu- tional Court. The promulgation of this law has provoked a wave of interna- tional indignation. US President Joe Biden, denouncing a "tragic attack" on human rights, said he had asked his administration to study the consequences of this "shameful" law on "all aspects of cooperation between the United States and Uganda". The American authorities are considering "additional meas- ures", such as sanctions or re- strictions on entry to their terri- tory for "anyone associated with human rights violations or cor- ruption", he added. The head of European diplo- macy, Josep Borrell, denounced a law that was "contrary to human rights". "The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all its cit- izens and ensure that their funda- mental rights are respected. If it fails to do so, relations with inter- national partners will be compro- mised", he said. 2014 precedent In 2014, donors had already reduced their aid following the passing of a law repressing ho- mosexuality in the country. Washington suspended funding for government programmes and imposed visa bans. EU countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Nor- way, and the Netherlands also froze part of their bilateral aid. The law was eventually annulled by the Constitutional Court on the grounds of a technicality dur- ing the vote. Supporters of the "anti-homo- sexuality law 2023" said on Mon- day that they expected Western funding to be cut. "They are going to cut aid to Uganda", Asuman Basalirwa, a member of parliament who in- itiated the bill, told the press, arguing that the country should turn to new "development part- ners", particularly in the Arab world. The law enjoys broad popular support and there has been little opposition in the country, which has been ruled with an iron fist since 1986 by Yoweri Museveni. Russia blames Ukraine for drone attack that damaged Moscow buildings Anti-homosexuality law in Uganda: opponents call for international sanctions