South Africa: Justice for Noxolo Nogwaza Dear Colonel Shilane, I am writing with reference to case number 635/04/2011 - the murder of Noxolo Nogwaza in KwaThema on 24 April 2011, a human rights defender who campaigned for the rights to equality and dignity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals. Please submit petition by March 2014 to: Amnesty International Canada I am deeply concerned that more than two years after her death, no progress has been made in investigating, arresting, and 312 Laurier Avenue East bringing to justice the perpetrators of Noxolo Nogwaza’s murder. This failure increases the impact, for those who knew her, of the Ottawa, ON K1N 1H9 terrible acts of violence and hate which led to her death. This situation of impunity also places others at risk of harassment, Contact: [email protected], discrimination and hate-motivated violence on the grounds of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; or because of their activism in defence of their right to equality and dignity. Event: Member contact: I respectfully urge the Tsakane police to give their full attention to thoroughly investigating the death of Noxolo Nogwaza and provide regular feedback to her family and colleagues on their progress. I thank you for your attention. I wish to receive email alerts and updates about Amnesty’s human rights Sincerely, work (1-2 times per month) Name (please print) Address (include postal code) Signature Phone and Email Justice for Noxolo Nogwaza: Backgrounder In the early hours of 24 April 2011, Easter Sunday, a 24-year-old lesbian woman, Noxolo Nogwaza, was murdered on her way home from a night out with friends. Her attacker(s) raped, repeatedly beat and stabbed her before dumping her body in a drainage ditch. According to organizations spoken to by Amnesty International, Noxolo was targeted because of her sexual orientation. Over a year after her death, no progress has been made in the investigation into her murder and her killer(s) remain at large. As an activist for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, Noxolo was aware of the risks of living openly as a lesbian woman. Homophobia and hate crimes against LGBTI individuals are common in South Africa, particularly against those living in townships and rural areas. Taunts, insults and threats are a constant reality and are so common that many LGBTI people do not even recognize these as a form of violence against them. Sexual assault and other physical attacks against LGBTI people are also all too common. These incidents of sexual assault and murder of lesbian women have also occurred in the wider context of persistent, high levels of violence against women in general. After Noxolo was murdered, her case was assigned to Tsakane police station for investigation. Since the time of her murder in April 2011 it appears that critical investigation steps were not taken by the police, missing the opportunity to gather vital evidence. No progress has been made in investigating the case and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Deadline: If the deadline to submit petitions has passed and you want to know if the petition deadline has been extended or if there is a new version of the petition available, please contact [email protected]. Sending in petitions: Once this petition is completed, please submit it within a week to Amnesty International in Ottawa, ON at the address listed on the petition. Take the next step: o To learn more about this issue visit www.amnesty.ca/ o Take Action: http://bit.ly/H66KaK o Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/amnestycanada o Join our Facebook group on LGBTI issues at www.facebook.com/groups/lgbt.amnestycanada/ o Follow us on Twitter @AmnestyNow Questions: If you have any questions about this petition or other actions you can take on this issue please contact [email protected], or tel. (613) 744-7667 ext. 243. .