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Uganda: Treatment of homosexuals (gays and lesbians) by the government and societal attitudes towards homosexuals

In September 199,President Yoweri Museveni declared that all homosexuals must be arrested and prosecuted (Detroit News  29 Sept. 1999; The Monitor 24 Nov. 1999; ibid. 4 Oct. 1999; Human Rights Watch Report 1999; ILGA 10 Oct. 1999; Detroit News 29 Sept. 1999). According to one source, Museveni's declaration followed two highly publicized gay marriages (ibid.). 

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyooyo, reportedly supported the president's position and said that "homosexuality is not only a sin against the biblical teachings, it [also] goes against the African culture and the order of nature" (Daily Nation 14 Nov. 1999).A survey of 505 residents ofKampala city conducted by the pro-government daily newspaper, The New Vision, found that 84 per cent of the population were opposed to the legalisation of homosexuality ( 29 Sept. 1999).

In Uganda, homosexuality is a criminal offence and the penal code provides that "any person who has carnal knowledge ofany person against the order of nature" can be sentenced to life imprisonment (Human Rights Watch Report 1999; Slugwire 11 Nov. 1999). According to the regional coordinator for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), Kamal Fizazi, who happened to be in Uganda at the time of the president's declaration,he received confirmation of the arrest of one homosexual and heard unconfirmed reports of the arrest of four or five others (Slugwire 11 Nov. 1999). An anti-homosexuality group in Kampala reportedly "burst several gays hide-outs in the city and leaked their findings to the press" (The Monitor 4 Oct. 1999). Early in the year, the "Commissioner for Inspectorate" in the ministry of education had directed heads of secondary to take measures directed at curbing the spread of homosexuality in secondary schools. He ordered that "all bathrooms in secondary schools be partitioned as a measure of checking on cases of lesbianism and homosexuality" (New Vision 21 Feb. 1999). According to this report, some students had been expelled for the practice [the report did not specify the numbers of students expelled nor the schools from which they were expelled]. A letter received by the Swedish national LGBT from a Ugandan school student in November 1999 claims that as a result of the president's command, he

with other 14 homosexual students were last week expelled by the school authorities where we were studying…We were mentally, physically and psychologically tortured, suspended, publicly caned before our peers, thus humiliated. We were later expelled from the school for "alien immoral sexual conduct." We were convicted on our own plea after compelling evidence was forwarded (ibid.).

 Some Ugandan newspapers have reportedly taken a stand against Museveni's declaration [Slugwire 11 Nov. 1999). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Daily Nation [Nairobi]. 14 November 1999. Dan Elwana. "Church Backs Museveni Against Homosexuality." <http://members.home.net/trubble/uganda1114.htm>[Accessed 27 June 2000]

Detroit News [Detroit]. "Ugandan President Calls for the Arrest of Homosexuals." <http://detnews.com/199/religion/9910/01/0930004.htm>[Accessed 27 June

Human Rights. Human Rights Watch Report 1999. "Lesbian and Gay Rights."   <http://www.hrw.org/wr2k/Issues-11.htm>[Accessed 27 June 2000)

The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). World Legal Survey. 10 Oct. 1999. Chris McGreal. "Gays Are Main Evil, Say African Leaders." <http://www.ilga.org/Information/Le…ing%20 files/gays_are_main_evil.htm>[Accessed 27 June 2000]

_____. n.d. "Letter Received by the Swedish National LGBT organisation from a Ugandan School Student in Nov 1999." <http://www/ilg.org/Information/Le…xt_of_a_letter_from_a_ugandan_.htm>

[Accessed 27 June 2000]

The Monitor [Kampala]. 24 November 1999. Henry Ochieng." Uganda: Museveni Still Tough on Homosexuals." (Africa News 23 Nov. 1999/NEXIS)

_____. 4 October 1999. Wamboga-Mugirya. "Uganda: Gays Hide-outs Found." (Africa News 4 Oct.1999/NEXIS)

The New Vision [Kampala]. 29 September 1999. "Uganda: 84% Reject Homosexuals." (NEXIS/Africa News 29 Sept. 1999)

_____. 21 February 1999. "Uganda: Govt Declares War on Gays." (Africa News 21 Feb. 1999/NEXIS)

Slugwire. 11 November 1999. Anna Workman. "Gay Repression in Uganda: President  Orders Arrest of Homosexuals." <http://www.slugwire.org/weekly/archives/99Nov11/uganda.html>[Accessed 27

Topics: Women, Lesbians, Men, Homosexuals, Gays,