Ugandans hold anti-gay protest

2007-08-21 14:56

Katy Pownall

Kampala - Hundreds of people held an anti-gay protest in Uganda's capital Tuesday and called for the deportation of an American journalist who covers gay issues in the east African nation.

Pastor Martin Ssempa, spokesperson for the Interfaith Rainbow Coalition Against Homosexuality, said: "Homosexuality breaks the laws of God, the laws of nature and the laws of Uganda.

"We are asking the government to be strong and uphold the laws of our country banning this repugnant practice in spite of great external pressure."

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. A coalition of religious groups, including Christians, Muslims and Bahai, organised the protest.

Ugandans 'have values'

Hundreds of people gathered at a Kampala sports ground waving banners with anti-gay messages, including posters that said "Deport Roubos".

Katherine Roubos, a 22-year-old from Minnesota, arrived in the East African nation in June to begin a three-month internship with the Daily Monitor newspaper. She was assigned to cover gay issues in the country.

Eddie Semakula, a member of the Interfaith Rainbow Coalition Against Homosexuality, said: "We people of Uganda have values. If this lady cannot respect them then she had better be deported.

"She is advocating for the rights of homosexuals in a paper that is read by children even. We must protect our children."

Ugandans told to respect human rights

He said the group was writing a protest letter to the Aga Khan - the spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims - who owned the Monitor newspaper. Last week, Uganda's gay community spoke out publicly for the first time at a news conference in Kampala.

Many attendees wore masks to hide their identities for fear of recrimination. They asked for Ugandans to respect their human rights and allowed them to live in dignity.

Roubos insisted that she had been impartial in her reporting. She had worked with numerous advocacy groups in the US, including on gay rights issues.

She said: "I was given this assignment by my editor, I didn't ask for it. I just present facts. None of my personal opinions are in the stories."

Most African states had laws forbidding homosexuality, and gays were frequently harassed or beaten up in many places on the continent.

- AP