Ebola ban prevents Ugandan LGBTQ+ activists from speaking at Ottawa rights conference

Activists hold placards during a protest against Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill at the Ugandan High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

OTTAWA — The blanket ban preventing people from some Ebola-affected countries from entering Canada is keeping Ugandan activists from attending a major LGBTQ+ rights conference in Ottawa.

The Carney government announced last week a 90-day suspension of various travel documents for people living in Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, citing the threat of Ebola.

Dignity Network Canada, a coalition of Canadian groups advocating for LGBTQ+ rights globally, says the ban means three Ugandans will not be able to speak at the conference or meet with MPs.

Uganda introduced a law in 2023 prescribing the death penalty for what it calls “aggravated homosexuality” and life imprisonment for other homosexual acts.

The House of Commons subcommittee on human rights has been hearing testimony about the crackdown, which has undermined efforts to eliminate HIV and has led some Ugandans to seek asylum in neighbouring countries.

The World Health Organization has asked countries like Canada to drop their blanket bans, arguing they only make it harder to stop the epidemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press