Human rights organizations call for more protections

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

Ugandan human rights leader David Kato was severely beaten in his home with a hammer. His body was discovered in his Kampala apartment on Jan. 26 after the attack and he died on the way to the hospital.

“David Kato will be remembered for his dedication to his community and his country Uganda, where he remained a fearless and outspoken voice for the rights of LGBTI persons in the face of threats to his life,” said Tad Stahnke, Human Rights First’s director of policy and programs. “We send our deepest condolences to our colleagues in Uganda who are shocked by the killing of their charismatic friend and leader.”

Kato worked as an advocate and litigation officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). In October 2010, The Rolling Stone newspaper in Uganda included Kato’s name in the list of prominent gay rights activists and their contact details, with a banner over the photos calling to “Hang Them.”

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato,” said President Barack Obama in a statement. “In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.”

A notable supporter of the “Hang Them initiative” was David Bahati, the Ugandan parliamentarian who achieved international notoriety for introducing the “Anti- Homosexuality Bill of 2009,” a bill that sought to introduce the death penalty for certain same-sex consensual acts.

Commenting on the Rolling Stone article, Mr. Bahati said that the campaign “would have been very helpful to law enforcement of these people; it would have been a great source for law enforcement.”

Kato was one of three litigants to initiate a court challenge to Rolling Stone and on Jan. 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.

“The police must carry out a thorough investigation into this attack, including into the motives behind the actions of the perpetrator,” said Paul LeGendre, HRF’s Fighting Discrimination Program director. “We are concerned by reports that the police may have hastily qualified the attack as aggravated robbery. We call on Ugandan President Museveni to send an unequivocal signal to Ugandans and to the world, condemning and demanding an impartial investigation into the murder, and taking steps to ensure the security of LGBTI activists and individuals. We can only hope that David’s murder will serve as a wake-up call to Uganda’s leaders of the dangers of silence and inaction in the face of the deadly homophobic environment that has taken root in Uganda and to which many political and religious leaders – in Uganda and abroad – have contributed.”

Obama noted that his administration is working on protecting all gay activists from hate in America and abroad.

“At home and around the world, LGBTI persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate,” Obama said in a statement. “LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.” In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered.