Museveni says Uganda won't be swayed after anti-LGBTQ law triggers aid cut threats

FILE PHOTO: Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview at his farm in Kisozi settlement of Gomba district, in the Central Region of Uganda, January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa

KAMPALA (Reuters) -Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has defended signing one of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ laws, with punishments up to and including the death penalty, saying it was needed to prevent LGBTQ community members he said were "disoriented" from "recruiting" others.

His comments were the first since he signed the bill into law, triggering widespread Western criticism including threats by U.S. President Joe Biden and others to cut aid to Uganda and impose other sanctions.