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A controversial anti-pornography law has been overturned in Uganda following pressure from women’s rights groups.
The government introduced legislation in 2014 to ban the dissemination of pornography, which it said would help protect women and children.
But critics say the law has been misused, leading to attacks on women on the streets for wearing certain types of clothing, such as miniskirts.
The legislation has now been overturned by the Constitutional Court of Uganda.
A panel of five judges unanimously ruled that sections of the law that defined pornographic offenses, including the prohibition on “indecent” clothing, were unconstitutional.
They said that no harm would be done to society if certain bans on acts or materials causing sexual arousal were lifted.
The introduction of the legislation in 2014 – initially referred to as the “anti-miniskirt” law – led to street protests in the capital, Kampala, after women wearing short skirts were publicly harassed and assaulted.
Several women’s rights organizations and human rights lawyers urged the government to review the law and then petitioned the Constitutional Court.
The Uganda Women’s Network said at the time that the legislation conflicted with the country’s constitution, which guarantees equal rights for both genders.
Under the law, song lyrics and music videos could also be classified as pornographic, with performers at risk of arrest and jail.
In 2015, musician Jemimah Kansiime – also known as Panadol Wa’basajja (medicine for men) – became the first person to be prosecuted under the law.
She faced up to 10 years in prison for a song that euphemistically referred to men’s sexual prowess.
The BBC’s Patience Atuhaire in Kampala said the singer’s case has been put on hold pending the outcome of the constitutional court complaint.
A nine-member committee set up when the law was introduced to help prevent the spread of pornography in the country will now be dissolved, our correspondent adds.
In 2018, a model was also arrested in Uganda, a socially conservative country, after photos of her naked were leaked.
The government has yet to comment on the decision.
Source: BBC
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