Another Ugandan gay activist Nicholas has reportedly gone missing, after receiving constant death threats from his community and also abandoned by his family members and friends.
Nicholas has been working for Matuga Youth Health Intervention organization an NGO, located in Matuga town, Wakiso district as a Senior Youth Advocate and he has also been freelancing with the Sky Magazine Uganda.
“ His disappearance comes as a results of many gays and their activists fleeing the country due to many death threats imposed on them from their local communities, relatives and friends saying it’s a course to associate with gays in their communities,” the Managing Editor, the Sky Magazine Uganda Bashiri Khamis said.
He added, “Nicholas has been insulted by his own family. Hate messages are sent on his phone from friends and strangers. Reported Police harassment, saying he is advocating for activities that are against their cultural and religious norms, “he said.
Even before the gay bill is passed by Ugandan parliament there are reports that gays and lesbians are now massively fleeing the country to the neighbouring countries fearing they might be killed.
This comes months after the gruesome murder of David Kato, a prominent sexual minority rights activist and member of the gay community in Mukono by a young man whom he was allegedly having an affair with before their relationship hit the rocks leading to kato’s murder.
Another Ugandan gay activist Pasikali Kashusbe was also discovered murdered mid last year, when Ugandan police found his severed head, when had been thrown down in a latrine
Nicholas was prominent members of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Group (LGBT) an organization which advocates for the rights of the sexual minority groups in Uganda.
“He started running away after the murder of David Kato this year and many others have gone missing and some are hiding in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and other countries like the US and Britain where they are welcome,” Bashiri said.
According to some of Nicholas’s family members Ronald and Sarah, they last heard from him two months ago and since then they have never seen him again.
Ronald said, Nicholas’ life has been in danger because before he disappeared he was beaten up three times by unidentified people who also organised police officers to arrest and detained him because of his sexual orientation.
Homosexuality in Uganda is illegal, with punishment up to life imprisonment. A bill, known colloquially in the U.S. as the “kill the gays bill” was introduced in October that would make those convicted of homosexuality subject to the death penalty. The bill is being met with much criticism from the international community, though it appears to have been sparked by a visit from U.S. evangelical missionaries.
The Ugandan lawmaker who proposed the bill, David Bahati, has refused to cancel the bill, despite international pressure.
In the bill, members of the public are obliged to report any homosexual activity to police with 24 hours or risk up to three years in jail – a scenario that human rights campaigners say will result in a witch-hunt. Ugandans breaking the new law abroad will be subject to extradition requests. . Even landlords could be imprisoned for renting to homosexuals.
President Yoweri Museveni also warned youths in Kampala that he had heard that “European homosexuals are recruiting in Africa,” and saying gay relationships were against God’s will.
Some influential religious leaders have also warned about the dangers of accepting liberal western attitudes towards homosexuality.
Gay rights activists say the bill, which has prompted growing international opposition, promotes hatred and could set back efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. They believe the bill is part of a continent wide backlash because Africa‘s gay community is becoming more vocal.
Gay rights activists say the legislation is likely to pass. But the bill is still being debated and could undergo changes before a vote, which has not yet been set.
Gay rights activists abroad are focusing on the legislation. A protest against the bill is planned for in London; protests were held last year in New York and Washington.
Ultimate Media
NOTE: We were requested to remove surnames in this article by clan members who were being victimised for sharing the surname of Nicholas and his relatives.
