Criminalizing Homosexuality in Africa

By: Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

Two Malawian homosexuals pardoned after international pressure demanding their release
Two Malawian homosexuals pardoned after international pressure demanding their release. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

KAMPALA, Uganda- The sentencing and subsequent pardoning of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, two homosexual Malawian men, has spurred renewed criticism of the social policies of many African nations. The men were arrested in Malawi for being homosexual (homosexuality is against the law in Malawi) and were sentenced to 14 years in prison. The two men were pardoned by Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharikal only after numerous countries and international organizations threatened to end their aid and financial support to Malawi.

The two men’s recent experiences reveal the stark reality of the severe social and religious condemnation of homosexuals in Africa.  Although pro-gay rights activists have made substantial progress in the last few decades in their fight against the discrimination and stigmatization of homosexuals around the world, last week’s detention of Mr. Monjeza and Mr. Chimbalanga illustrate the difficult fight activists have ahead of them in Africa.

The international community’s strong condemnation of the detention of the two men was an optimistic sign that progress may be possible.   The carrot and stick maneuvering employed by many international organizations threatening to withdrawal aid worked to free the men, but can such tactics be used to create social change?   The arrests in Malawi have only seemed to fuel the ambitions of other African nations in their attempts to criminalize homosexuality.

Members of the Ugandan Parliament are currently working to pass a bill which would mandate more severe punishment for violations of the country’s anti-homosexuality laws.  In fact, this bill would allow courts to sentence violators to death.  These laws not only apply to individuals whose sexual preference is for a person of the same sex but also to those who have AIDS, as well as gay rights supporters and sympathizers.  Anyone who encourages or participates in “LGBT behavior” is subject to these laws.

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, a staunch supporter of his country’s renewed efforts against homosexuals, contends that homosexuality is not a part of African culture.   Instead, President Museveni argues that homosexuality is a symptom of Western culture which has the power to destroy nations.  Mr. Museveni has also received strong backing from the African Church, as many religious figures have called for initiatives to strengthen the morals of the African people.  Some American evangelicals have also recently traveled to Uganda to voice their support for the bill.  These calls for stricter anti-homosexual laws have caused may, including members of the Church of Uganda who support gay rights, to flee the country.

Human rights organizations warn that bills like the one being debated in the Ugandan Parliament impedes the success of international health initiatives.  These organizations contend that the stigmatization associated with homosexuality hampers AIDs education and treatment programs.  Activists continue to worry that anti-homosexual legislation will contribute to the AIDs crisis in Africa.

Despite the movement among Ugandans favoring anti-homosexual legislation, one organization predicts that the bill will not pass due to intense international pressure.   United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the bill but failed to announce any repercussions against the government should the bill pass.  Other countries and international organizations however, are taking a more direct approach.  Sweden has vowed to withdrawal the $50 million in annual aid to Uganda.  The European Parliament has also threatened to withdrawal aid.  In all, Uganda is faced with the threat of losing roughly a third of its national budget if it passes the bill.

Uganda has also asked numerous countries to extradite Ugandan asylum seekers in order to prosecute them.  Many Ugandan homosexuals have fled to European countries, particularly Britain.  In response to Uganda’s demand for the return of asylum seekers however, the British government has taken a firm stance against extraditing homosexuals who have fled Uganda.   The British government announced that it would not extradite any Ugandan for breaking Ugandan law unless the crime was also a violation of British law.   Since homosexuality is not a crime in Britain, it seems that these individuals are safe for the time being.

As debate on this bill comes to a close it is likely that the international community will continue to pinch Uganda in the hopes of persuading enough law makers to vote against the bill.  Even if the bill does not pass, homosexuality will still remain a punishable crime in Uganda.  At the very least these last few weeks have shown that discrimination against homosexuals is deeply rooted in African social and cultural attitudes.  Although failure of this bill may not be considered a “win” among gay rights activists, the international community’s commitment to fight this bill shows that there is still hope for progress.

For more information, please see:

San Francisco Chronicle – Christians Blamed for Anti-Gay Hatred in Uganda – 9 June, 2010

BBC Monitoring Africa – Convicted Malawi Gay Man Reportedly Rejects Asylum Offers Abroad, Marries Woman – 8 June, 2010

Episcopal-Life – Ugandan Bishop Says ‘Human Sexuality is Universal’ – 8 June, 2010

Africa News – UK to Protect Gay Asylum Seekers – 5 June, 2010

Africa News – Museveni Opposed to Homosexuality – 4 June 2010

Africa News – Anti-Gay Legislation Could Ruin Health Efforts – Activists – 2 June, 2010

Second Convoy Attempts To Reach Oaxaca In Wake Of Recent Murders By Paramilitary Groups

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By Erica Laster
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OAXACA, Mexico – In January 2007, Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s poorest states, declared itself a municipality despite the lack of support their declaration of independence received from Mexico. Since then, the state has been under constant pressure and for the last six months, has been under siege by various paramilitary groups, including ‘Union de benestar social de la Region Triqui’ (Ubisort).

In retaliation for Oaxaca’s declaration of autonomy, Ubisort has resorted to tactics which isolate Oaxaca, including kidnapping and murdering many of its residents.  According to residents, the paramilitary group damaged a pipe delivering water into the community, turning away all vehicles and restricting medical professionals and teachers access to the community. This denial of economic and social services has forced the community into complete isolation, leaving the community without incoming food, medicine and electricity for months. Earlier this year, one humanitarian convoy’s attempt to bring aid to local residents ended in an ambush by Ubisort, resulting in the death of one woman and a Finnish man.

Oaxaca is set to hold elections on July 4 of this year. Jose Sierra, a military affairs expert indicated that “paramilitary groups in Mexico continue functioning as a permanent preventive counterinsurgency mechanism”, Global Geopolitics reports.

Despite Oxaca’s government’s support of the paramilitary group, reports show that they have continued to use violence amongst the people of Oaxaca.  35 members of the Oaxaca municipality were threatened with execution if they attempted to bring food, medicine or other aid into the isolated community.  In an attempt to render aid, organizations, including the International Red Cross, are joining in a convoy to Oaxaca state. On June 7, Amnesty International asked government authorities in Mexico to ensure the second convoy headed towards the blockade received safe passage. The convoy is expected to deliver humanitarian supplies and staples denied them by paramilitary groups.

For More Information Please Visit:

Inter Press Service http://herewww.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51744 7 June 2010

Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR41/039/2010/en/e92d4927-d256-4b00-a7d5-dc51fcde5e7b/amr410392010en.html 7 June 2010

Global Geopolitics http://globalgeopolitics.net/wordpress/2010/06/08/mexico-humanitarian-convoy-braves-risk-of-attack/ 8 June 2010

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Marriage Turned Massacre: Afgan Wedding Bombed

By David L. Chaplin II
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Weddings, once a sacred ceremony, fall victim to tragedy as the Taliban indiscriminately attacks civilians. On Wednesday, in Afghanistan’s Kandahar’s southern province, 39 people were killed and 73 others were wounded.  The explosion came during a wedding dinner, between 9:30 and 10 p.m., striking the area where the men and boys were dining separately from the women. All the casualties were men or boys, village officials said.

Impunity mounts as Weddings become Targets
Violence mounts as weddings become targets

Toror Yalai Wesa, the governor of Kandahar, told Al Jazeera that a survivor had said a car bomb was the cause of the explosion.  “We don’t have any women casualties. Most of them are adult men and some are young children,” he said.  The man getting married was a policeman from one of the checkpoints in the area, the governor said.  The groom was one of those wounded in the attack, according to his brother, Mohammad Zanif.  “We don’t know what happened.  There was an enormous explosion and as a result everyone there was either killed or injured,” he told AFP.

The International Security Assistance Force confirmed the bombing but had no information on casualties.  They and Afghan forces have secured the area.  It is unclear what caused the blast or why the wedding was targeted.  No one has yet said they planted a device.  Last week, Afghanistan held a national peace council and endorsed a plan to seek peace with the Taliban. But violence has continued unabated.

Relatives of the wounded gathered at an area hospital and local television appealed for people to donate blood to help treat the injured. Local television appealed to people for blood donations to help those injured.  Although the surrounding district is a base for the Taliban, the families at the wedding were not known to have links with the authorities or security forces, AFP reported.

On Monday, Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) lost 10 soldiers on its deadliest day in months within what has been a violent week.  In earlier violence on Wednesday, four American Nato soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down in neighbouring Helmand province.  The Taliban claimed its fighters had shot down the aircraft with a rocket-propelled grenade in Sangin district.  More than 20 Nato soldiers have died this week.

Kandahar is set to be the next focus of Nato’s military drive against the Taliban.

For more information, please see:

CNN World News – 39 dead in blast at Afghanistan wedding – 9 June 2010

Al Jazeera English – Dozens killed in Afghan wedding – 9 June 2010

BBC News – Afghanistan explosion ‘kills dozens’ in Kandahar – 9 June 2010

Image courtesy of the Washington Post

Argentina’s Lower House Passes Same-sex Marriage Bill

Same-sex Couple Married in Argentina (Photo Courtesy of www.politic.ology.com)
Same-sex Couple Married in Argentina (Photo Courtesy of www.politic.ology.com)

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Argentina’s lower legislative house, the Chamber of Deputies, recently approved a gay marriage bill.  By a 125-109 vote, the Chamber of Deputies passed a bill that not only allows gay marriage, but also allows gay couples to adopt children for the first time.

Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, has a strong reputation for being gay friendly.  Many bars, restaurants and other forms of entertainment specifically cater to homosexual clientele.  Support for a gay marriage bill has mounted since December of last year, when the first same-sex marriage was performed in Latin America.  Since that time, five same-sex couples have been married in Argentina by judges who authorized the ceremony.

The Chamber of Deputies was faced with a difficult decision: pass a bill that would allow civil unions, but would not allow adoptions; or take a bold step and allow equality across the board.  When asked why he supported the equal marriage bill, Agustin Rossi, member of Front for Victory Party, explained that a civil union option “would not have solved the problem” and that the legislature was focused on “equaling rights in the most genuine manner.”

Rossi went on to say that it is very unfair for those who have power to deny equality to those who do not.  Deputy Felipe Sola, who supported the bill, added that “love isn’t owned by heterosexuals.”

While there have previously been few same-sex marriages in Latin America, this victory marks the first time the body of a legislative branch has voted for same-sex marriages in Latin America.  If the bill passes Argentina’s upper house, Argentina would be the first Latin American country to allow full same-sex marriage and adoption rights.  Currently, Mexico City is the only place in Latin America where same-sex couples share the same marriage and adoption rights as heterosexual couples.

Maria Rachid, president of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, is optimistic that the bill has the necessary support to pass.  Deputies from President Fernandez’s faction, as well as members of groups on the left and right of the political spectrum, have all shown support for the bill.

For more information, please see:

Advocate.com – Argentina’s lower house OKs gay marriage bill – 5 May 2010

Bloomberg – Argentina’s Lower House Approves Gay Marriage Bill, Clarin Says – 5 May 2010

On Top Magazine – Argentina’s Lower House Approves Gay Marriage Bill – 5 May 2010

Reuters – Argentina’s lower house passes gay marriage bill – 5 May 2010