OutRage! (and HRW)- Uganda-45 gays 'outed in witch-hunt-arrests follow
pirate | 08.09.2006 12:44 | Gender | Repression | World
Gay rights group OutRage! exposes the 'outing' of 45 gays by a Ugandan newspaper (Red Pepper) in a witch-hunt against lgbt people. arrests have followed.
Human Rights Watch (USA) have also condemned the Ugandan authrities and newspaper.
Human Rights Watch (USA) have also condemned the Ugandan authrities and newspaper.
Uganda Embassy, London for urgent protest letters/emails please...
http://uganda.embassyhomepage.com/
OutRage! News Service Sept 8th.
((See also: Human Rights Watch (USA) Sept 8th..
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/09/08/uganda14154.htm
Uganda: Press Homophobia Raises Fears of Crackdown
Government Campaign Against Gay and Lesbian Community Escalates
(New York, September 8, 2006) – In a country where a sodomy conviction carries a penalty of life imprisonment, a Ugandan tabloid’s decision to publish the names of alleged homosexuals is a chilling development that could presage a government crackdown, Human Rights Watch said today. The lesbian and gay community in Uganda has long been stigmatized and harassed by government officials. ))
OutRage!
45 gays outed in Uganda witch-hunt
Arrests follow, others go into hiding
"Indiscriminate, uncorroborated and unjustified outing" condemned by
OutRage!
"President Musiveni is the Robert Mugabe of Uganda," says Peter
Tatchell
London – 7 September 2006
The Ugandan tabloid newspaper, Red Pepper, has outed 45 gay and
bisexual men, including army officers, priests, university lecturers,
entertainers, bankers, students and lawyers. It also published details
of five venues popular with gays and lesbians.
Ugandan LGBTI activists regard the outings as an open invitation to
the police and queer-bashers to 'have a go'.
At least five men were arrested soon after the outing list was
published. It is said the police are under pressure to get tough with
"sodomites". They are now cracking down on the LGBTI community in an
apparent bid to be seen taking action.
Uganda's Gay And Lesbian Alliance (GALA) reports that two days after
the outing list was published, unidentified men in army uniform
attacked one of the outed gay men. He was taken to a police station
where he was forced to make a statement.
A student named by Red Pepper was thrown out of home by his parents.
He sought
refuge with a gay couple he knew. His mother guessed where he had gone
and
gave the police the address. The gay couple were arrested on charges
relating to homosexuality. They have subsequently been let out on bail
and are now in hiding.
There are reports that Red Pepper is planning a similar mass outing of
lesbian and bisexual women in the near future.
Commenting on the expected outing of women, one Ugandan lesbian
activist said: "We are just waiting. I know that some women are
definitely going to lose what they have; jobs, homes, families, and
friends. It is time that gays and lesbians in Uganda stand together to
fight the negative reporting of the press."
OutRage! is urging its friends and supporters to email polite,
courteous protests to the editor of Red Pepper, Arinaitwe Rugyendo:
rugyendo-at-mail-dot-redpepper-dot-co-dot-ug
or phone him: +256 712 973 077, +256 772 760 106, +256 312 279410
A copy of OutRage!’s protest letter to Red Pepper follows below – you
are free to copy or adapt it for your own protest email.
Male homosexuality is totally illegal in Uganda, and is punishable by
life imprisonment. There have been a series of government-backed
attacks on the LGBTI community in the last year, including an illegal
police raid on the home of the lesbian leader of the Ugandan LGBTI
movement, Victor Juliet Mukasa, in July 2005.
Although Red Pepper did not print the outed individual's family names
(only their first names), the accompanying published details about
their places of residence and work had made many of them easily
identifiable.
A spokesperson for the Makerere University Student's Lesbian
Association (MUSLA) in Uganda said that some of the named men have
been subjected to police interrogations:
"The police called some of the boys in the list. Our efforts to help
out our friends who have been arrested were fruitless, since the
police, under the influence of many different politicians, wanted the
guys to be jailed….The gays were not allowed access to proper justice.
Some of them were put in cells for more than 48 hours, which are
allowed by the police and yet none of them have had the opportunity to
be in court. Those who have been released on police bail, we don't
know their whereabouts.
Some of our friends in the past have been arrested and put in torture
houses without us knowing there whereabouts. Others have been forced
to flee the country. Others have been framed. This is an appeal to the
international community and every concerned person, that Uganda as a
country is booked for justice. Uganda is a signatory to the
international human rights declarations. Your support will be highly
appreciated,” concluded the Musla statement.
Victor Juliet Mukasa, chair of Sexual Minorities Uganda, says many gay
Ugandans are sick and tired of being pilloried by the Ugandan media,
church and political parties. They are "absolutely fed up, determined
to defend themselves and no longer ready to be intimidated by
exposures and abuse," she said in a statement relayed to the LGBTI
human rights movement OutRage!, in London, which has been working
closely with Ugandan LGBTI activists.
Photo of Victor Juliet Mukasa:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/outrage/sets/72157594273586785/
Under the lurid headline, "Gay Shock!", Red Pepper published its mass
outing on 8 August 2006. The newspaper denounced gay people in
sensational, bigoted terms:
"To a majority of us, straight thinking citizens, it (homosexuality)
is an abominable sin, actually a mortal sin that goes against the
nature of humanity.
"We are talking about men in this nation who are walking closely in
the footsteps of Sir Elton Hercules John and the like by having
engines that operate from the rear like the vintage Volkswagon cars.
"To show the nation how shocked we are and how fast the terrible vice
known as sodomy is eating up our society, we have decided to unleash
an exclusive list of men who enjoy taking on fellow men from the
rear.
"We hope that by publishing this list, our brothers will confess and
go back to the right path,” concluded Red Pepper.
The LGBT rights movement, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has
circulated a letter of protest and defiance to the Uganda media.
SMUG chairperson, Victor Juliet Mukasa, reports that many of those
named are "living under unbelievable fear of being arrested,
ostracized by their families or sacked from their jobs.
"SMUG is therefore making a loud call to everyone who believes in the
rights of human beings to stand up and protest along with us to put an
end to such injustices against LGBTI and other marginalized people in
Uganda," said SMUG.
SMUG is a coalition of three LGBTI organizations in Uganda; Freedom
and Roam Uganda, Spectrum Uganda and Integrity Uganda. SMUG’s
statement on the outings follows below.
"We deplore this indiscriminate, uncorroborated and unjustified outing
of allegedly gay Ugandans," said Andrew de Cruz of OutRage!, who has
been working with and supporting the Ugandan activist groups.
"It is an unwarranted invasion of privacy which typifies the bigoted,
bullying attitudes that are encouraged by the Ugandan government and
churches.
"We call on President Museveni to uphold the international human
rights laws that Uganda has signed. This means repealing the
prohibition on same-sex relationships and legislating protection
against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"It also means halting the intimidation and harassment of the lawful,
non-violent Ugandan gay rights movement.
"We express our admiration and support for all Ugandan human rights
activists - gay and straight – who are working to end homophobic
persecution," said Mr de Cruz.
Peter Tatchell, campaign coordinator of OutRage!, added:
"Uganda is the new Zimbabwe. President Yoweri Museveni is the Robert
Mugabe of Uganda – a homophobic tyrant who tramples on democracy and
human rights," said Mr Tatchell.
Note: This news release has been issued by OutRage! at the request of
Ugandan LGBTI organisations. OutRage! is working with them in
partnership and solidarity, to support the struggle for queer freedom
in Uganda.
Further information:
Brett Lock, OutRage! 07xxx xxxxxx
Ugandan gay and lesbian activists:
Julie Victor Mukasa - Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Freedom and
Roam Uganda (FARUG) – Tel: +27 (79) 1949 561 (temporarily in South
Africa).
Val Kalende - Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Freedom and Roam
Uganda (FARUG) Tel: +256 752 324 249
*** name and contact details removed as per request ***
Photo of Victor Juliet Mukasa:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/outrage/sets/72157594273586785/
SMUG website – www.smug.4t.com
SMUG OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE RED PEPPER GAY LIST PUBLISHED IN UGANDA
ON THE 8th August of 2006
Kampala, Uganda - 21/08/2006
As a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexed (LGBTI) human
rights organization we strongly contest the information recently
released in the Red Pepper tabloid exposing gay men in Uganda.
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) stands for the liberation of LGBTI
people and shall not surrender to such homophobic occurrences as those
that the Red Pepper came up with.
We believe in freedom for all regardless of sex, sexual orientation,
creed, color or race. We stand for the realization of this freedom and
we shall not tolerate any injustice made towards the LGBTI community.
We are tax paying and responsible citizens of this nation and nothing
should make us less of human beings or Ugandan citizens.
We refuse to sit back and let such unfair acts happen to our people.
We shall do all that it takes to liberate our people because that is
the freedom we all deserve.
Our brothers whose names were published in the Red Pepper tabloid are
currently under-going discomforts and are living under unbelievable
fear of being arrested, ostracized by their families or sacked from
their jobs.
SMUG is therefore making a loud call to everyone who believes in the
rights of human beings to stand up and protest along with us to put an
end to such injustices against LGBTI and other marginalized people in
Uganda.
The Red Pepper is also hereby advised to stop this outing of
individuals without their consent otherwise you will be held
accountable for any consequences of the outings.
There is no shame attached to being homosexual but it should be an
individual’s choice about how and when they want to share such
personal information with family, friends and colleagues.
SMUG is a coalition of three LGBTI organizations in Uganda; Freedom
and Roam Uganda, Spectrum Uganda and Integrity Uganda.
For more information please contact SMUG at: sm-ug2004-at-yahoo-dot-com
Copy of OutRage!’s letter to the editor of Red Pepper:
The Editor
Red Pepper
Dear Arinaitwe Rugyendo,
I am writing to express my dismay that your newspaper outed 45
allegedly gay and bisexual men on 8 August, and that you may be
planning to out a similar number of lesbian and bisexual women in the
near future.
I fail to see any public interest justification for exposing adults
engaged in consenting same-sex behaviour who have not caused harm to
others and against whom no complaints of harm have been alleged. These
individuals have been convicted of no crime. Your newspaper is
inviting vigilante attacks on those who you have outed.
Naming these people risks causing them ostracism and rejection by
their families, friends, workmates and neighbours.
It could cause them to lose their jobs and careers. It may put them at
risk of violent attack by homophobes - perhaps even murder.
Fear of such adverse consequences could tip some of those named into
depression and possibly even suicide.
I do not believe this is what you want or intend. I urge you to
reconsider your actions and reflect on the suffering you have already
caused.
Please put yourself in the position of the named individuals. You
would not like someone to do this to you. Therefore, I urge you to not
do it to others.
Please show respect and mercy towards a weak, vulnerable and
marginalised lesbian and gay community, which already suffers great
discrimination and violence.
How about showing tolerance and promoting understanding in the pages
of your newspaper? That would be a far more honourable stance to take.
It would bring Red Pepper much respect.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Tatchell
Human rights advocate
OutRage! - London, UK
Ends
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://uganda.embassyhomepage.com/ OutRage! News Service Sept 8th.
((See also: Human Rights Watch (USA) Sept 8th..
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/09/08/uganda14154.htm Uganda: Press Homophobia Raises Fears of Crackdown
Government Campaign Against Gay and Lesbian Community Escalates
(New York, September 8, 2006) – In a country where a sodomy conviction carries a penalty of life imprisonment, a Ugandan tabloid’s decision to publish the names of alleged homosexuals is a chilling development that could presage a government crackdown, Human Rights Watch said today. The lesbian and gay community in Uganda has long been stigmatized and harassed by government officials. ))
OutRage!
45 gays outed in Uganda witch-hunt
Arrests follow, others go into hiding
"Indiscriminate, uncorroborated and unjustified outing" condemned by
OutRage!
"President Musiveni is the Robert Mugabe of Uganda," says Peter
Tatchell
London – 7 September 2006
The Ugandan tabloid newspaper, Red Pepper, has outed 45 gay and
bisexual men, including army officers, priests, university lecturers,
entertainers, bankers, students and lawyers. It also published details
of five venues popular with gays and lesbians.
Ugandan LGBTI activists regard the outings as an open invitation to
the police and queer-bashers to 'have a go'.
At least five men were arrested soon after the outing list was
published. It is said the police are under pressure to get tough with
"sodomites". They are now cracking down on the LGBTI community in an
apparent bid to be seen taking action.
Uganda's Gay And Lesbian Alliance (GALA) reports that two days after
the outing list was published, unidentified men in army uniform
attacked one of the outed gay men. He was taken to a police station
where he was forced to make a statement.
A student named by Red Pepper was thrown out of home by his parents.
He sought
refuge with a gay couple he knew. His mother guessed where he had gone
and
gave the police the address. The gay couple were arrested on charges
relating to homosexuality. They have subsequently been let out on bail
and are now in hiding.
There are reports that Red Pepper is planning a similar mass outing of
lesbian and bisexual women in the near future.
Commenting on the expected outing of women, one Ugandan lesbian
activist said: "We are just waiting. I know that some women are
definitely going to lose what they have; jobs, homes, families, and
friends. It is time that gays and lesbians in Uganda stand together to
fight the negative reporting of the press."
OutRage! is urging its friends and supporters to email polite,
courteous protests to the editor of Red Pepper, Arinaitwe Rugyendo:
rugyendo-at-mail-dot-redpepper-dot-co-dot-ug
or phone him: +256 712 973 077, +256 772 760 106, +256 312 279410
A copy of OutRage!’s protest letter to Red Pepper follows below – you
are free to copy or adapt it for your own protest email.
Male homosexuality is totally illegal in Uganda, and is punishable by
life imprisonment. There have been a series of government-backed
attacks on the LGBTI community in the last year, including an illegal
police raid on the home of the lesbian leader of the Ugandan LGBTI
movement, Victor Juliet Mukasa, in July 2005.
Although Red Pepper did not print the outed individual's family names
(only their first names), the accompanying published details about
their places of residence and work had made many of them easily
identifiable.
A spokesperson for the Makerere University Student's Lesbian
Association (MUSLA) in Uganda said that some of the named men have
been subjected to police interrogations:
"The police called some of the boys in the list. Our efforts to help
out our friends who have been arrested were fruitless, since the
police, under the influence of many different politicians, wanted the
guys to be jailed….The gays were not allowed access to proper justice.
Some of them were put in cells for more than 48 hours, which are
allowed by the police and yet none of them have had the opportunity to
be in court. Those who have been released on police bail, we don't
know their whereabouts.
Some of our friends in the past have been arrested and put in torture
houses without us knowing there whereabouts. Others have been forced
to flee the country. Others have been framed. This is an appeal to the
international community and every concerned person, that Uganda as a
country is booked for justice. Uganda is a signatory to the
international human rights declarations. Your support will be highly
appreciated,” concluded the Musla statement.
Victor Juliet Mukasa, chair of Sexual Minorities Uganda, says many gay
Ugandans are sick and tired of being pilloried by the Ugandan media,
church and political parties. They are "absolutely fed up, determined
to defend themselves and no longer ready to be intimidated by
exposures and abuse," she said in a statement relayed to the LGBTI
human rights movement OutRage!, in London, which has been working
closely with Ugandan LGBTI activists.
Photo of Victor Juliet Mukasa:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/outrage/sets/72157594273586785/ Under the lurid headline, "Gay Shock!", Red Pepper published its mass
outing on 8 August 2006. The newspaper denounced gay people in
sensational, bigoted terms:
"To a majority of us, straight thinking citizens, it (homosexuality)
is an abominable sin, actually a mortal sin that goes against the
nature of humanity.
"We are talking about men in this nation who are walking closely in
the footsteps of Sir Elton Hercules John and the like by having
engines that operate from the rear like the vintage Volkswagon cars.
"To show the nation how shocked we are and how fast the terrible vice
known as sodomy is eating up our society, we have decided to unleash
an exclusive list of men who enjoy taking on fellow men from the
rear.
"We hope that by publishing this list, our brothers will confess and
go back to the right path,” concluded Red Pepper.
The LGBT rights movement, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has
circulated a letter of protest and defiance to the Uganda media.
SMUG chairperson, Victor Juliet Mukasa, reports that many of those
named are "living under unbelievable fear of being arrested,
ostracized by their families or sacked from their jobs.
"SMUG is therefore making a loud call to everyone who believes in the
rights of human beings to stand up and protest along with us to put an
end to such injustices against LGBTI and other marginalized people in
Uganda," said SMUG.
SMUG is a coalition of three LGBTI organizations in Uganda; Freedom
and Roam Uganda, Spectrum Uganda and Integrity Uganda. SMUG’s
statement on the outings follows below.
"We deplore this indiscriminate, uncorroborated and unjustified outing
of allegedly gay Ugandans," said Andrew de Cruz of OutRage!, who has
been working with and supporting the Ugandan activist groups.
"It is an unwarranted invasion of privacy which typifies the bigoted,
bullying attitudes that are encouraged by the Ugandan government and
churches.
"We call on President Museveni to uphold the international human
rights laws that Uganda has signed. This means repealing the
prohibition on same-sex relationships and legislating protection
against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"It also means halting the intimidation and harassment of the lawful,
non-violent Ugandan gay rights movement.
"We express our admiration and support for all Ugandan human rights
activists - gay and straight – who are working to end homophobic
persecution," said Mr de Cruz.
Peter Tatchell, campaign coordinator of OutRage!, added:
"Uganda is the new Zimbabwe. President Yoweri Museveni is the Robert
Mugabe of Uganda – a homophobic tyrant who tramples on democracy and
human rights," said Mr Tatchell.
Note: This news release has been issued by OutRage! at the request of
Ugandan LGBTI organisations. OutRage! is working with them in
partnership and solidarity, to support the struggle for queer freedom
in Uganda.
Further information:
Brett Lock, OutRage! 07xxx xxxxxx
Ugandan gay and lesbian activists:
Julie Victor Mukasa - Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Freedom and
Roam Uganda (FARUG) – Tel: +27 (79) 1949 561 (temporarily in South
Africa).
Val Kalende - Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and Freedom and Roam
Uganda (FARUG) Tel: +256 752 324 249
*** name and contact details removed as per request ***
Photo of Victor Juliet Mukasa:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/outrage/sets/72157594273586785/ SMUG website – www.smug.4t.com
SMUG OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE RED PEPPER GAY LIST PUBLISHED IN UGANDA
ON THE 8th August of 2006
Kampala, Uganda - 21/08/2006
As a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexed (LGBTI) human
rights organization we strongly contest the information recently
released in the Red Pepper tabloid exposing gay men in Uganda.
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) stands for the liberation of LGBTI
people and shall not surrender to such homophobic occurrences as those
that the Red Pepper came up with.
We believe in freedom for all regardless of sex, sexual orientation,
creed, color or race. We stand for the realization of this freedom and
we shall not tolerate any injustice made towards the LGBTI community.
We are tax paying and responsible citizens of this nation and nothing
should make us less of human beings or Ugandan citizens.
We refuse to sit back and let such unfair acts happen to our people.
We shall do all that it takes to liberate our people because that is
the freedom we all deserve.
Our brothers whose names were published in the Red Pepper tabloid are
currently under-going discomforts and are living under unbelievable
fear of being arrested, ostracized by their families or sacked from
their jobs.
SMUG is therefore making a loud call to everyone who believes in the
rights of human beings to stand up and protest along with us to put an
end to such injustices against LGBTI and other marginalized people in
Uganda.
The Red Pepper is also hereby advised to stop this outing of
individuals without their consent otherwise you will be held
accountable for any consequences of the outings.
There is no shame attached to being homosexual but it should be an
individual’s choice about how and when they want to share such
personal information with family, friends and colleagues.
SMUG is a coalition of three LGBTI organizations in Uganda; Freedom
and Roam Uganda, Spectrum Uganda and Integrity Uganda.
For more information please contact SMUG at: sm-ug2004-at-yahoo-dot-com
Copy of OutRage!’s letter to the editor of Red Pepper:
The Editor
Red Pepper
Dear Arinaitwe Rugyendo,
I am writing to express my dismay that your newspaper outed 45
allegedly gay and bisexual men on 8 August, and that you may be
planning to out a similar number of lesbian and bisexual women in the
near future.
I fail to see any public interest justification for exposing adults
engaged in consenting same-sex behaviour who have not caused harm to
others and against whom no complaints of harm have been alleged. These
individuals have been convicted of no crime. Your newspaper is
inviting vigilante attacks on those who you have outed.
Naming these people risks causing them ostracism and rejection by
their families, friends, workmates and neighbours.
It could cause them to lose their jobs and careers. It may put them at
risk of violent attack by homophobes - perhaps even murder.
Fear of such adverse consequences could tip some of those named into
depression and possibly even suicide.
I do not believe this is what you want or intend. I urge you to
reconsider your actions and reflect on the suffering you have already
caused.
Please put yourself in the position of the named individuals. You
would not like someone to do this to you. Therefore, I urge you to not
do it to others.
Please show respect and mercy towards a weak, vulnerable and
marginalised lesbian and gay community, which already suffers great
discrimination and violence.
How about showing tolerance and promoting understanding in the pages
of your newspaper? That would be a far more honourable stance to take.
It would bring Red Pepper much respect.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Tatchell
Human rights advocate
OutRage! - London, UK
Ends
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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