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UK Home Office Deporting Ugandan Lesbian to Certain Harm

Melanie Nathan January 23, 2011 - The United Kingdom (UK) Home Office has rejected the asylum application of a Ugandan lesbian who can be sent back at any time.  The Ghana news reports that the “East African country is hostile to homos and recently proposed a bill which would make homosexual acts punishable by execution.”

The U.K. Border Agency, is now holding a Uganda born student, Brenda Namigadde, 29, who was among those took part in a demonstration outside the Uganda High commission in Trafalgar Square, Central London in 2009, when the Ugandan government introduced an Anti-Homosexuality Bill in parliament. The bill that shocked the liberal western governments suggested all Gays and Lesbians in the country should face the death penalty.

Speaking about her case from the UK Border manned Heathrow immigration detention center where she being held, Namigadde, said she fears for her life once in Uganda.

“They already know who I am, because photos were taken of me and my colleagues that day,” said a tearful Namigadde, with fear overwhelmed her face, she added: “Ugandan government has names of most of them as they have been published in several newspapers in the country.” Namigadde was referring a demonstration that took place after a public outcry from several organisations in the UK led by Gay Activists Alliance International (GAAI) with support from Gay Uganda, Sexual Minorities Uganda and Outrage organisations. Among the speakers on the day were Davies Mac-Iycllam, the co-founder of GAAT, Peter Tatchell and Skye Chirape.

Homosexual is illegal in Uganda and the country’s president previously attacked it calling it, “negative foreign culture”.

In the Ugandan parliament, there is an Anti-Homosexuality Bill which was sponsored by Ndorwa West, MP David Bahati, a legislator from President Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). It was only stayed when it received a sharp condemnation from around the world and after donor countries threatened to cut-off of aid to Uganda.

Last week I spoke directly to David Bahati in an interview which I am soon to publish in full. He informed me that the  Ugandan Parliament is going to go ahead with the anti-homosexuality Bil and it could become law in a matter of time. “All Ugandans support the Bill. We are a sovereign Country” –   He told me that Uganda “does not not consider homosexuality as a human right” and that it will do everything it can to enforce criminal sanctions against those who “practice homosexuality.”

Bahati said that homosexuality is a crime already in Uganda and the purpose of he new law will be to clarify it creating certainty in the mode of punishment.   He said that he had “proof” that “homos are recruiting children in the schools to their way of life” and that “Uganda must protect their children for the homos.”

I asked him if this was a religious ideal and based on religion. He said that it was and this clearly dates back to Scott Lively and USA Evangelical push to attack  gays and lesbians in Africa.

I cannot fathom how the UK Home Office can reject this case for asylum – it defies all sense of humanity.  I am calling on the US State Department to contact the Home Office and to effect a responsibility especially that our American Evangelicals have steeped themselves in the atrocious preamble to all this.

Paul Canning form LGBT Asylum based in the UK told me that before Lively went in to Uganda with his antigay propaganda, gays and lesbians had been left alone.  However now they are being harassed to the point where even a local Newspaper has been placing photos on its cover – of alleged gays- and calling for their capture.

Brenda, who was in a relationship with Canadian born Janet Hoffman, for almost three years while in Uganda, said; “several of my lesbian friends who we used to hang out within in the country have not been heard of since news of what the government had in mind broke out.”

“It is like they have all vanished in thin air, I don’t know what is going to happen to me once there,” said Brenda before she broke into tears.

The 29 year Ugandan lesbian, was due to be deported on Thursday the 20th of January, but only missed out after a mix-up with someone else name being submitted to the airline.

Talking about this case that he called ‘unique’, among the cases he has had to deal with a spokes person for a law firm Cardinal Solicitors in Luton, said it was high time the Home Office deals with cases of Homophobic correctly, because lives could be at stake.

Paul Canning in  LGBT Asylum reports on his BLOG today,

…… And in November, the Foreign Office released a statement to pinknews.co.uk saying:

“The UK, alongside our EU partners, has raised our concerns about the draft bill and LGBT rights more broadly with the government of Uganda, including with the prime minister and several other ministers, the Ugandan Human Rights Commission, and senior officials from the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”“We will continue to track the passage of the bill and to lobby against its introduction.”   http://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2011/01/britains-two-faces-to-lgbti-uganda.html

After speaking to Activists who know the lay of the land and after speaking to Bahati myself for over an hour. Brenda’s life is in certain danger. The UK Home Office must retract its decision immediately. It defies all logic that a Country such as the United Kingdom would deport a person back to a Country where even its members of parliament, such as David Bahati, announce publicly that they have no intention of adhering to the Declaration of Human Rights and that they plan on legislating in direct contradiction to its terms.

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
Facebook Melanie
twitter @oblogdeeoblogda

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