1/2014 Situation of LGBT Persons in Uganda
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1/2014 ENG Situation of LGBT persons in Uganda Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service’s and the Danish Refugee Council’s fact finding mission to Kampala, Uganda from 16 to 25 June 2013 Copenhagen, January 2014 Danish Refugee Council Danish Immigration Service Borgergade 10, 3rd floor Ryesgade 53 1300 Copenhagen K 2100 Copenhagen Ø Phone: 00 45 33 73 50 00 Phone: 00 45 35 36 66 00 Web: www.drc.dk Web: www.newtodenmark.dk E-mail:[email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Overview of Danish fact finding reports published in 2012 and 2013 Iranian Kurds; On Conditions for Iranian Kurdish Parties in Iran and KRI, Activities in the Kurdish Area of Iran, Conditions in Border Area and Situation of Returnees from KRI to Iran, Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service’s and Danish Refugee Council’s fact finding mission to Erbil and Sulaimania, KRI, 30 May to 9 June 2013 2013: 4 Security and protection in Mogadishu and South-Central Somalia, Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service’s and the Norwegian Landinfo’s fact finding mission to Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia, 16 April to 7 May 2013 2013: 3 Iran - On Conversion to Christianity, Issues concerning Kurds and Post-2009 Election Protestors as well as Legal Issues and Exit Procedures, Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service, the Norwegian LANDINFO and Danish Refugee Council’s fact-finding mission to Tehran, Iran, Ankara, Turkey and London, United Kingdom, 9 November to 20 November 2012 and 8 January to 9 January 2013 2013: 2 Update on security and human rights issues in South- and Central Somalia, including Mogadishu, Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service’s and the Norwegian Landinfo’s fact finding mission to Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia, 17 to 28 October 2012 2013: 1 Chechens in the Russian Federation – residence registration, racially motivated violence and fabricated criminal cases, Joint report from the Danish Immigration Service’s and Danish Refugee Council’s fact finding mission to Moscow and St Petersburg, the Russian Federation from 23 May to 5 June 2012 2012: 4 Afghanistan, Country of Origin Information for Use in the Asylum Determination Process, Rapport from Danish Immigration Service’s fact finding mission to Kabul, Afghanistan, 25 February to 4 March 2012 2012: 3 Security and human rights issues in South-Central Somalia, including Mogadishu, Report from Danish Immigration Service’s fact finding mission to Nairobi, Kenya and Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 January to 19 February 2012 2012: 2 Situation of LGBT persons in Uganda Contents Introduction and disclaimer ................................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of the mission ....................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Authorities’ attitude towards LGBT persons ..................................................................................... 6 1.1 Laws prohibiting homosexual acts incl. pending laws ................................................................ 6 1.2 Arrests and prosecution of LGBT persons including court verdicts .......................................... 10 1.2.1 Arrests ................................................................................................................................. 10 1.2.1.1 Prevalence of arrests .................................................................................................... 12 1.2.1.2 Reasons for arrests ....................................................................................................... 17 1.2.1.3 Treatment during detention .......................................................................................... 22 1.2.1.4 Charges......................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.1.5 Prosecution ................................................................................................................... 27 1.2.1.6 Transgender persons .................................................................................................... 29 1.2.3 LGBT NGOs ....................................................................................................................... 33 1.3 Access to health, education, job market ..................................................................................... 35 1.3.1 Transgender persons’ access to health, jobs and housing ................................................... 38 1.4 Evictions by Local Councils ...................................................................................................... 39 1.5 Avenues to seek redress ............................................................................................................. 40 1.5.1 Professional Standards Unit (PSU) ..................................................................................... 41 1.5.2 Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) .................................................................... 45 1.5.3 High Court of Uganda ......................................................................................................... 46 1.5.4 Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) ........................................................................... 47 2 The Anti-Homosexuality Bill............................................................................................................ 49 3. Societal attitudes towards LGBT persons ........................................................................................ 53 3.1 Discrimination of LGBT persons ............................................................................................... 54 3.1.1 Refugee LGBT individuals ................................................................................................. 60 3.2 Mob justice/hate crimes ............................................................................................................. 61 3.3 Attitudes in urban and rural areas respectively .......................................................................... 66 3.3.1 Rural areas........................................................................................................................... 67 2 Situation of LGBT persons in Uganda 3.4 Consequences for families of an outed LGBT person ............................................................... 69 3.5 Protection by authorities ............................................................................................................ 69 3.6 Civil society groups supporting LGBT persons ......................................................................... 71 3.6.1 Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) ................................................................................... 72 3.6.2 Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CSCHRCL) .............. 75 3.6.3 Icebreakers .......................................................................................................................... 76 3.6.4 Spectrum Uganda ................................................................................................................ 77 3.6.5 East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) .......................... 78 3.6.6 Transgender Equality Uganda (TEU) ................................................................................. 79 3.6.7 Other NGOs ........................................................................................................................ 80 3.7 Media’s role ............................................................................................................................... 81 4. Documentation of violence, human rights abuses and criminal offenses ........................................ 83 5. The 2012 Beach Pride Parade .......................................................................................................... 85 6. Verification ...................................................................................................................................... 91 6.1 Newspaper articles ..................................................................................................................... 91 6.2 Search warrants and police appeals ........................................................................................... 91 6.3 Documents issued by Local Councils ........................................................................................ 92 6.4 Verification assistance from NGOs ........................................................................................... 93 Organizations and individuals consulted ............................................................................................. 94 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... 95 Literature .............................................................................................................................................. 96 Annex A: Map of Uganda .................................................................................................................... 97 Annex B: Terms of Reference .............................................................................................................. 98 Annex