Appeal for vigilance on behalf of the LGBTIQ community in Uganda

Bergen: 21.10.2019

In 2014 a bill introducing capital punishment for repeated offence against the prohibition to engage in consensual gay sex among adults passed parliament, but was judged unconstitutional by the Ugandan Supreme Court on technical grounds, and without considering the substantial content of the bill. This bill is now relaunched, as announced on October 10. The community of LGBTIQ rights defenders have issued this call to action in the face of this threat.

Read the complete Appeal sent to Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ms. Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide and Minister of International Development Mr. Dag Inge Ulstein

As warned by LGBTIQ activists such as our partner Pepe Julian Onziema of Rafto laureate 2011 Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an increase in street violence against gays was expected after this announcement. Evidence that this prediction was correct is now accumulating. Already before the announcement of the renewal of the legislative initiative, LGBTIQ activist Brian Wasswa was murdered (Human Rights Watch https://bit.ly/31ecEz1), the fourth sexual minority person apparently murdered for reasons relating to their sexual or gender identity this year.

We ask you to make sure that the Norwegian position is known in all relevant communication with Ugandan authorities, and that the Norwegian and civil society organizations in Norway and like-minded countries will monitor the situation closely, and that we expect diplomatic representatives to defend the rights of this group as diligently as the rights off all other Ugandan citizens