By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
An anti-gay group in Liberia released a “hit list” on April 3 of people they believe should be punished for their participation in the gay rights movement.
Movement Against Gays in Liberia (MOGAL) distributed fliers over the weekend in parts of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, threatening to take out the individuals one by one. The fliers allege that gays and lesbians want to destroy Liberia and do not have the nation’s best interests at heart. MOGAL said those involved in promoting gay rights “should not be given space to get a gulp of air.”
“Having conducted a comprehensive investigation, we are convinced that the below listed individuals are gays or supporters of the club who don’t mean well for our country,” the fliers read. “Therefore, we have agreed to go after them using all means in life.”
While no individual MOGAL members signed the fliers, Moses Tapleh, a 28-year-old affiliated with the group, stressed that its threats should be taken seriously. “We will get them one by one,” he said. “They want to spoil our country.”
When asked what action might be taken against those on the list, Tapleh said they could be subjected to “dangerous punishments” including “flogging and death.”
The flier warned that MOGAL would begin taking action soon. “Let these individuals be aware that we are coming after them soon,” the flier reads. “We urge them to also begin saying their Lord’s prayers.”
One of the persons whose name appeared on the list already reported receiving threatening phone calls.
The fliers are yet another example of the growing hostility towards gays and lesbians on the west coast of Africa. Liberian law currently does not explicitly address homosexuality. “Voluntary sodomy” is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf last month vowed to preserve this law, prompting a statement of concern from the U.S. State Department.
Additionally, last February, two proposals were introduced in the legislature making homosexuality punishable by prison terms. One of the proposed bills would make same-sex sexual practice a second-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. The other bill would make same-sex marriage a first-degree felony, with sentences ranging up to 10 years in prison.
Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, said the emergence of the “hit list” should put pressure on President Sirleaf to take a stance in support of gay rights. Simply refusing to sign the new anti-gay laws was insufficient, according to Reid.
“She cannot sit on the fence when there’s this kind of provocation taking place,” said Reid. “She needs to take a clear and unequivocal stance on this issue.”
Homophobia is widespread in Africa. Last year, Nigeria voted in favor of a bill that would criminalize gay marriage, gay advocacy groups and same-sex public displays of affection. In 2009, Uganda introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty for some gays and lesbians. Even in South Africa, the only African nation to recognize gay marriage, so-called “corrective” rapes have been carried out on lesbians.
For more information, please see:
Africa Review – Anti-gay hit-list in circulation in Liberia – 4 April 2012
Scrimac.com – Liberian Gays Threatened With Death on Hit List Fliers – 3 April 2012
The Washington Post – Anti-gay group in Liberia issues hit list, threatens to ‘get to them one by one’ – 3 April 2012
