Join us on Uganda Independence Day to raise awareness of the systematic human rights abuses in Uganda and the organizations that aide or turn a blind eye to these abuses.
12.00 noon, Thurs. 9th Oct - Ugandan's Independence day
Ugandan Embassy
58 Trafalgar Square
London
WC2N 5DX
Organized by the National Union of Students and GayRIghtsUganda.org
Join us on Uganda Independence Day to raise awareness of the systematic human rights abuses in Uganda and the organizations that aide or turn a blind eye to these abuses.
* Armored vehicles sold to Uganda used against civilians - profits lining pockets of British companies
* Ugandan Bishop rewarded by church for attacks on gay rights
* Ugandan asylum seekers facing persecution assaulted in the UK during deportation attempts
Speakers will include ;
* Peter Tatchell - Outrage!
* Lucy Brookes - National Union of Students
* Davis Makyala - Changing Attitudes
* Emma Ginn - Campaign to Stop Arbitrary Detention at Yarl's Wood
Arms trade - Land Systems OMC is a South African based company, 75% owned by BAE Systems, who sold armored vehicles to the Ugandan Government. The UK government should take action to stop the sale of arms to Uganda BAE Systems plc, a British company, used to sell armored vehicles to Uganda. 3 people died at a demonstration where these vehicles were deployed. "The result is armored vehicles being used against civilians and the proceeds from these sales lining the pockets of British companies." Phil Bloomer, Oxfam.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/mar/01/uganda.armstrade Church rewards prejudice against homosexuals - The Anglican Church not only ignores but positively encourages human rights abuses against the LGBT community. Dr. Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor, received an award for his fight against homosexuality.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/649677 Homosexuality is Illegal in Uganda and can lead to life imprisonment. Mr. Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda, once proposed the arrest of all homosexuals - though he subsequently modified his position and called for a return to the good old days when "these few individuals were either ignored or speared and killed by their parents".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/01/11/do1102.xml Ugandan gay rights activist Kizza Musinguzi, was tortured for his activism.
Human rights abuses - Much of the world refuses to acknowledge abuses by the Ugandan government. The Ugandan oppressive regime last year was honored with hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, despite Human Rights Watch and Amnesty having documented the government's elaborate instances of torture, abuse and intimidation. TheUgandan government excludes the LGBT community from healthcare, thereby condemning a section of the community to death.
Ugandans assaulted by UK "immigration escorts" - Ugandans were the most frequently assaulted according to the recent report "Outsourcing Abuse - The use and misuse of state-sanctioned force during the detention and removal of asylum
seekers".
http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/content/view/413/67/ Deportees are transported by "immigration escorts" in blacked-out vans to the airport from oppressive immigration removal centres such as Harmondsworth near Heathrow where 99% of cases that are 'fast tracked' are refused asylum, including people from places like Iran and Uganda. Six detainees at Harmondsworth chose suicide rather than deportation. Asylum applications are a 14-year low, yet the proportional use of detention has increased 7-fold. The government is driven by seemingly arbitrary deportation targets.
Please download the leaflet for the demonstration
http://www.gayrightsuganda.org/ugandan_embasy_demo.pdf Enquiries/further information contact:
Lucy.Brookes@nus.org.uk / 07814 178056 kizza@gayrightsuganda.org / 07927 588416 http://www.gayrightsuganda.org/
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