Uganda’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday refused to overturn the country’s sweeping anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) laws.

The Anti-Homosexuality Law, which took effect in May last year, stipulates that “engaging in homosexual acts” is punishable by life imprisonment.

The law also imposes the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality,” including sex with people living with HIV, as well as sex with vulnerable groups such as minors and the elderly.

Passage of the law prompted international condemnation, with the World Bank halting any new loans to Uganda and the United States imposing visa and travel restrictions on Ugandan officials.

Although the Constitutional Court upheld the law, it overturned several provisions because they violated the rights to health and privacy.

Ugandan gay rights activist Frank Mugisha tells New York Times The petitioners will appeal the decision to uphold the law to the Supreme Court of Uganda. He said the judges of the Constitutional Court were “influenced by the propaganda of the anti-gay movement”.

Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex “against the order of nature.” Activists say Uganda’s LGBTQ community has suffered multiple abuses since the law came into effect, including deportations, arrests and even attacks.

The law’s passage also set off a wave of similar anti-gay laws across Africa, as many countries believe homosexuality was imported from other countries.

This report contains information from The Associated Press and Reuters.