1-27-2011
Help protect gays in Uganda and around the world
The brutal murder of Ugandan human rights leader David Kato has left the LGBT community in Uganda in shock, mourning and afraid. Kato was severely beaten to death in his home with a hammer, his body discovered in his Kampala apartment yesterday afternoon.
This murder comes against the backdrop of profoundly anti-gay rhetoric across Uganda, spurred by the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, which sought to introduce the death penalty for certain same-sex consensual acts. In December, Human Rights First’s Paul LeGendre debated David Bahati, the Ugandan parliamentarian who introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Watch the clip below:
In October 2010, the Rolling Stone, a self-made magazine, published a list of prominent gay rights activists and their contact details, with a banner over the photos calling to “Hang Them.” Kato’s name was among the 100.
David Kato worked as an advocate and litigation officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). David Kato was one of three litigants to initiate a court challenge to Rolling Stone and on January 3 of this year, the High Court of Uganda ruled that the newspaper had violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights to dignity and privacy and issued a permanent injunction.
Human Rights First has been working in coalitions to fight this disturbing trend of discrimination and violence. Help our efforts to challenge the deadly homophobic environment that has taken root in Uganda.
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