Denounce Gay Murder, Museveni

Anova - 30 January 2011

by Karen van Rooyen

South African organisation Health4Men has called on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to publicly denounce the violent murder of the gay rights activist David Kato.

Kato, an outspoken member of Sexual Minorities Uganda who spoke out against prejudice, intimidation and violence against men who have sex with men, was beaten to death on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old was among a group of gay men whose identities were made public late last year in the extremist local newspaper The Rolling Stone, described as a publication with a "homo-prejudiced campaign".

Professor James McIntyre, executive director of the Ananova Health Institute, under which Health4Men falls, described the incident as "blatant infringements of the human rights of men who have sex with men in Uganda".

Glenn de Swardt of Health4Men said it was a "human rights disaster".

"We can only attempt to imagine the fear and anxiety other gay men are experiencing in Uganda and countries with similar views on homosexuality," he said.

The organisation implored Museveni to denounce homo-prejudice and ensure that Kato's murderers were brought to book, failing which the international community would hold him "personally accountable for his complicity in a human rights crime".

Originally published on TimesLive on 30 January 2011.