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VIDEO: "Call Me Kuchu" Trailer, New Film on Uganda's David Kato

The new documentary Call Me Kuchu opens on November 2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The film explores the state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign in Uganda and details the 2011 murder of David Kato, the nation's first publicly openly gay man. Call Me Kuchu premiered at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival and won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary.

Watch the new trailer AFTER THE JUMP ...

Despite the East African nation's often harsh anti-LGBT climate, there is a vibrant underground community of kuchus, the film's directors Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall write in The Independent.

What’s more, many of the kuchus we met weren’t victims, but dedicated and increasingly sophisticated activists working with absolute determination to change the status quo – even, eventually, in the face of a devastating and unthinkable loss. One phrase that epitomized this attitude was a rallying cry from Mozambique’s war of independence that was adopted as something of a mantra by David [Kato] and Uganda’s LGBT activist community: "A Luta Continua," or "The Struggle Continues."

David Kato was the first person we met with once we arrived in Uganda – he reeled off names and numbers and introduced us to the kuchu community. As we spent more time with him, we were increasingly intrigued by his fierce intelligence and relentless passion, his sharp sense of humor, and his deep-seated fear of sleeping alone at night. He was also one of the most outspoken activists in the community. It soon became clear that David [Kato] was the protagonist of Call Me Kuchu.

Meanwhile: The Speaker of the Ugandan parliament has slammed the Canadian government over its criticism of Kato's murder and Uganda's record on LGBT issues. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird criticized Uganda and Iran's human rights records this week at an international summit in Quebec, reports The Globe and Mail.

Delegates from both countries accused Canada of interfering in their internal affairs. An Iranian representative said it was no different than his country using the IPU forum to call for international support of Quebec independence. ... And the minister didn’t mince words describing the plight of young African girls under regimes that tolerate early and forced marriages. He then denounced Uganda for the violation of gay rights and oppression of homosexuals.

He pointed to the case of David Kato, a Ugandan gay rights activist who was beaten to death after a newspaper published a photo of him and other gay men under the headline, “Hang them.”

The Speaker of the Ugandan National Assembly, Rebecca Kadaga, said her government will demand an apology from the Canadian government. "Ignorance and arrogance, that is how I would describe Mr. Baird," Ms. Kadaga said in an interview, adding that her government’s does not promote violence against gays. "This is a very high level of arrogance for him to attack my country." ... She accused Canada of adopting a “colonial attitude” towards African nations and interfering in her country.

David Kato was the spokesman for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the sole LGBT rights organization in Uganda. Kato was  brutally beaten to death at his home in January 2011. A suspect, Enock Nsubuga, was arrested one week later and police claim he confessed to Kato's murder  over a sex-for-pay deal gone wrong.

Authorities have refused to link Kato's murder to his activism or being listed among the nation's "100 Top Homos" by an infamous local anti-gay tabloid. Nsubuga was sentenced to 30 years on prison.

Watch the new trailer AFTER THE JUMP ...

30 Year Sentence for Killer of Ugandan Activist David Kato

The confessed killer of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, reports The Monitor.

Nsubuga admitted to have murdered David Kato 46, on 26th January 2011. This verdict was passed based on the evidence produced in courts. Prosecution led by Ms Loe Karungi alleges that on 26th January, 2011, while the duo was taking tea, the deceased demanded for sex from Nsubuga. ... Nsubuga picked up a hammer, came back to the living room and hit the deceased on the back of the head twice.

The hunt for Nsubuga culminated in his arrest when he was spotted by Nakabago residents in Mukono district, who alerted the police. He was arrested and taken to Mukono Police Station where he admitted to the murder charges brought against him. .. Efforts to reach leaders of gay community were futile as they are said to be out of the country to receive an award recognizing them for their struggle in the fight for gay rights in Uganda.

Kato was the spokesman for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the sole LGBT rights organization in Uganda. Kato was the most visible gay man in the small East African that has attracted international condemnation for its state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign.

Fights erupted at Kano's funeral after a local pastor grabbed the microphone and blasted homosexuality. Kato's gay friends were forced to bury the body because villagers refused to do so.

As reported by The Monitor, leaders of Uganda's embattled LGBT community are in the U.S. to accept the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in Washington today.

Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the former U.S. attorney general, is to be joined by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry in presenting the award to Frank Mugisha at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. ... The 29-year-old Mugisha leads an underground group whose members routinely shift locations in Uganda for their safety. Uganda, a conservative East African nation, is one of more than 70 nations that have imposed laws against being gay.

Mugisha blames U.S. evangelical activists in particular for stoking fears and promoting homophobia with a 2009 visit and conference on "rehabilitation" for gays in Uganda. Since then, violence against gays has increased, he said.

This is the first time that an LGBT rights activist has been honored by the prestigious award.

R20's complete DAVID KATO coverage ...

UGANDA: Museveni Wins Elections, Extending 25 Years in Power

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of Saturday's presidential elections, extending his 25 years in power by another five-year term. Museveni has vowed to stop any street protests and warned "he will use the military to crush any dissent," reports Deutsche Welle.

The Ugandan electoral commission announced on Sunday that Yoweri Museveni had won 68 percent of the presidential vote, well ahead of his closest challenger, Kizza Besigye with 26 percent. Turnout was 59 percent of Uganda's roughly 14 million registered voters. ...

However, European Union election observers said that what they called an unnecessary military presence on polling day on Friday had created an uneasy, intimidating atmosphere.

Besigye has already alleged that huge sums had been used to buy votes and to bribe polling agents, parliamentary candidates and electoral officials. "We reject the outcome of the election and reject the leadership of Mr Yoweri Museveni," Besigye told a news conference. He warned that Uganda was not immune from an Egypt-style revolt. 

In January, Dr. Besigye said police should "not waste resources" investigating homosexuality and he would decriminalize the practice if elected.

"The opposition candidate was standing against Mr Museveni for the third time," reports BBC. "Besigye and Museveni were allies in the guerrilla war which brought the latter to power in 1986, but they later fell out."

A series of confidential State Department cables leaked by WikiLeaks revealed American diplomacy around the extreme Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which mandated the death penalty or life imprisonment for the new crime of "aggravated homosexuality." Museveni assured American diplomats that no executions would occur, but warned diplomats not to publicly "push" the issue, or he would be seen as Washington's "puppet."

UGANDA: First Court Appearance for David Kato Murder Suspect

The suspected killer of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato made his first court appearance on Thursday. Enock Nsubuga was brought before Mukono Magistrate Court and appeared "arrogant", reports Ugandan gay activist Ssalongo Nikki Mawanda at Black Looks.

Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enock, was brought into court from Luzira Maximum Prison at 9:45am. He seemed to exude arrogance as he walked into the court premises. The court was packed with more than 40 people among whom were family, friends, LGBT human rights activists and their allies as well as diplomats from a number of embassies in Uganda.

Emotions of rage, anger, sorrow and grief gripped those in attendance; tears rolled down the faces of activists, friends and family while they watched in shock as the hand cuffs were removed from the suspect’s hands for the court proceedings.

Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enock appeared before Grade II Magistrate, Nabbasa Ruth, for mention of Court Case No. AA020/2011 CRB177/11 MKN, the Republic of Uganda Vs. Nsubuga Sydney Alias Enock. The prosecutor presented the case to the court and the Magistrate adjourned the case for hearing on the 3rd of March, 2011. The suspect was further remanded in custody.

Ugandan and international human rights activists were concerned that the suspect was not handcuffed, reports the Daily Monitor.

Some activists said they were not happy with the manner in which the suspect was brought to court saying he would have been left to move without handcuffs. Pauline Kimanyo, a gay activist, said they are not happy with the way the case is being handled but said they will be patient, until justice prevails.

"We are all here to seek Kato’s justice in the first place and also the rights of all the sexual minority group in Uganda. We are patient until that day justice will be passed," Kimanyo said. Kimayo did not, however, specify the reasons for the activists’ discontent.

Forty-six-year-old David Kato was the spokesman for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the sole LGBT rights organization in Uganda. Kato was the most visible gay man in the small East African that has attracted international condemnation for its state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign.

Kato was brutally killed in his own home on January 25. Nsubuga was arrested one week later and police claim he confessed to Kato's murder  over a sex-for-pay deal gone wrong.

Authorities have refused to link Kato's murder to his activism or being listed among the nation's "100 Top Homos" by an infamous local anti-gay tabloid. Kato reportedly received numerous death threats after his name and photo made the front page with the headline "Hang Them".

R20's complete DAVID KATO coverage ...

WIKILEAKS: Cables Show Ugandan Mockery of Kato, U.S. Concerns Over Extreme Homophobia

State-sponsored anti-gay terror campaigns are spreading across Africa and governments are monitoring activists' mobile and eletronic communications, according to a series of confidential State Department cables leaked by WikiLeaks and released  in the Spanish newspaper El Pais (translation).

American diplomats are particularly concerned over the extreme homophobia in Uganda, the cables show. The leaked memos show LGBT activists lived in a "dangerous" climate and government officials openly "mocked" David Kato at a December 2009 United Nations consultative meeting, according to another WikiLeak release published by The Guardian. Kato, of course, was later  brutally beaten to death at his home in January 2011.

The diplomat said Kato ... delivered a well-written speech against the bill, but his words were almost inaudible due to "his evident nervousness". Throughout his talk a member of the Ugandan Human Rights Commission "openly joked and snickered" with supporters of the bill, the diplomat claimed in the cable.

The "consultative meeting" in December 2009, organised with funding from the UN, aimed to discuss the bill, which would impose the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" and life imprisonment for consenting adults who have gay sex.

In the cable, dated 24 December 2009, the diplomat claimed Ugandan politicians, including the author of the anti-homosexuality bill, David Bahati, had channelled anger at the country's socio-political failings into "violent hatred" of gays.

Other confidential memos sent between Kampala and Washington in 2009-2010 and sent to WikiLeaks paint a picture of a worsening human rights climate in the run-up to Ugandan elections Uganda's "chilling" descent from tolerance to violent homophobia and a deepening fear among gay activists, who claim they are being increasingly monitored and harassed. The memos, classified as confidential, also reveal US diplomatic attempts to combat the draconian bill – which is at the parliamentary committee stage. 

Confidential cables released by El Pais offer a rare glimpse into behind-the-scenes diplomacy conducted by Washington over the extreme Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which mandated the death penalty or life imprisonment for the new crime of "aggravated homosexuality." President Yoweri Museveni assured American diplomats that no executions would occur, but warned diplomats not to publicly "push" the issue.

[Assistant Secretary of State  Johnnie Carson] expressed gratitude that Museveni had tamped down the tensions surrounding Uganda's draft anti-homosexuality bill. Both Carson and [Under Secretary Maria Otero]  encouraged Museveni to pursue decriminalization and destigmatization of homosexuality. Museveni warned outsiders of pushing Africa too hard on this issue, lest it create another hurricane, and lectured on African family values. He assured the USG delegation that nobody in Uganda would be executed for homosexual behavior, but explained that in the African context homosexuality is a disorder and not something to be promoted or celebrated. Don't push it, warned Museveni, "I'll handle it."

El Pais adds: "One of the greatest fears that show African leaders in their contacts with the Americans is to appear before their subjects as puppets of the West.  Museveni mentioned a cartoon circulating around the country in which [is drawn] as a puppet of  Hillary Clinton, and the then prime ministers of United Kingdom and Australia, as an example of damage that can lead to being too sympathetic to the pleas for human rights." 

The Kato cable is HERE.

The Museveni cable is HERE.

PHOTO: Kato Murder Suspect Enock Nsubuga Paraded Before Media

 

Here is your first look at Enock Nsubuga, the man who allegedly confessed to the murder of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato. Nsubuga was perp walked and paraded before the media in Kampala this morning.

UGP:

Police arrested one Enock Nsubuga alias Sydney as prime suspect and he has since confessed to hitting the deceased with a hammer on the head while he was in the bathroom. Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale who paraded Nsubuga before the media in Kampala, says investigations into the murder are still on going and that charges of murder could be preferred. He says the murder is not related to the late Kato's gay rights activities but was linked to a case of robbery. David Kato's murder has attracted international criticism over alleged harassment of gays in Uganda.

More from New Vision, which reports the Ugandan police's convenient theory of a sex-for-pay deal gone wrong:

Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura ... said Nsubuga, who was paraded to the press at the briefing, confessed to killing Kato in the extra-judicial statement he recorded at Mukono magistrate’s court. According to the statement, Kato allegedly promised to pay Nsubuga for consensual sex on January 25. However, Kato failed to pay, prompting Nsubuga to kill him.

Kayihura explained that the Police followed clues that pointed to robbery, adding that Nsubuga had a long criminal record. He, however, said there was no evidence linking Kato’s murder to his sexuality.

Police previously described the suspect as a "thief." They are now describing Nsubuga as "a male prostitute", reports AFP.

Authorities have refused to link Kato's murder to his activism or being listed among the nation's "100 Top Homos" by the infamous local anti-gay tabloid Rolling Stone. Kato reportedly received numerous death threats after his name and photo made the front page with the headline "Hang Them".

R20's complete DAVID KATO coverage ...

Murder Suspect: Kato Offered Money for Sex and Refused to Pay

More developments after the arrest of Nsubuga Enock, the man who confessed to the murder of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato over an alleged "personal disagreement." Police now say it was a sex-for-pay deal gone wrong, reports the Toronto Sun.

Ugandan police said on Thursday a prominent gay activist who was found dead last week was killed by a sex partner, ruling out the murder was related to his gay rights campaign. ...

Police said they arrested Enock Nsubuga, whom they described as a “well-known thief”, on Wednesday at his girlfriend’s house, saying he had been staying at Kato’s home after the activist bailed him out of prison on Jan. 24. "According to the suspect he negotiated with the deceased to be paid money as he was to be used as a sexual partner," Uganda’s top police officer, Inspector General Kale Kayihura, told reporters on Thursday.

Kayihura said the men then had sex but Kato did not pay. "The following day Nsubuga confesses that he picked a hammer from the bathroom and hit him on the head,” Kayihura said. "There is nothing concrete to suggest that Nsubuga was motivated by hate, although we are not dismissing it."

More lurid details in the Ugandan press. Enock claims Kato "coerced him into sodomy", refused to "give him a car [and] a house" and later forced himself on the suspect, reports The Daily Monitor.

A police source, who preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the press, said the suspect confessed to killing Kato because he was reportedly tired of engaging in homosexual practices. "We have taken him to Mukono Magistrate’s Court to record an extrajudicial statement,” the source said. “He told us that he killed Kato after he failed to give him a car, a house and money he promised as rewards for having sex with him," the source said.

Kato is alleged to have bailed the suspect out of Kawuga Prison on January 24, where he been remanded on charges of theft of a mobile phone. The suspect told police that he stayed with Kato for two days. He accused the deceased of having sex with him and promising to pay him during the period.

The suspect allegedly told the police he got tired of having sex with Kato but the latter would not have any of his excuses. “The suspect said he left the bedroom, went to a store and picked a hammer which he used to hit him [Kato] while he was still in bed,” the source said. The death of Kato was condemned by the international community as an attack on the gay community.

Authorities have refused to link Kato's murder to his activism or being listed among the nation's "100 Top Homos" by the infamous local anti-gay tabloid Rolling Stone. "Gay activists in Kampala, who had believed Kato was killed because of his sexuality, told Reuters on Thursday they still needed more proof from the police. Some had feared the government would cover-up the homophobia angle because the international media attention could jeopardise crucial aid inflows," adds the Sun.

R20's complete DAVID KATO coverage ...

Confession in the Murder of Ugandan LGBT Activist David Kato

Police in Uganda announce an arrest and confession in the murder of David Kato, the leading Ugandan gay rights activist who was brutally killed in his own home on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

Ugandan police said on Wednesday that a man had confessed to murdering a gay rights activist after a "personal disagreement" in an attack last week that sparked worldwide fury. ...

"The prime suspect, Nsubuga Enock, was arrested today at around 4pm when he went to visit his girlfriend," police spokesman Vincent Ssetake told Reuters. "He has confessed to the murder. It wasn't a robbery and it wasn't because Kato was an activist. It was a personal disagreement but I can't say more than that."

Police said last week that Enock, whom they described as a "well-known thief," had been staying with Kato after the activist bailed him out of prison on January 24. Kato's driver was also arrested in connection with the murder. Police spokespeople could not confirm whether he had since been released.

Enock will appear in court tonight.

The Los Angeles Times reports Ugandan police are "searching for another [suspect] who had worked for Kato." Not sure is this the previously mentioned driver. 

The 46-year-old Kato was the spokesman for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), the sole LGBT rights organization in the small East African nation. In October, Kato made the front page and was listed among the nation's "100 Top Homos" by the infamous local anti-gay tabloid Rolling Stone. Authorities have refused to link Kato's murder to his activism or the tabloid outing.

At Kato's funeral last Friday, fights erupted after after a local pastor grabbed the microphone and blasted homosexuality. Kato's gay friends were forced to bury the body because villagers refused to do so.

Read R20's complete DAVID KATO coverage.

Uganda: Anti-Gay Pastor Blasts David Kato's Funeral, Villagers Refuse to Bury Body

An unfortunate and absolutely vile update to the horrible murder of David Kato, the leading Ugandan gay rights activist who was brutally killed in his own home on Wednesday. As hundreds gathered at today's burial for the slain pastor, fights erupted after a local pastor grabbed the microphone and blasted homosexuality.

To add more disrespect: Villagers then refused to bury Kato's body. Kato's gay friends had no choice but to carry the body themselves to the burial site, reports Reuters.

"The world has gone crazy," the pastor told the congregation through a microphone. "People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man."

Gay activists, wearing T-shirts featuring Kato's face with sleeves coloured with the gay pride flag, then stormed the pulpit and grabbed the microphone.

"It is ungodly," the pastor shouted, before being blocked from sight. "ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE US"

An unidentified female activist then began to shout from the pulpit. "Who are you to judge others?" she shouted. "We have not come to fight. You are not the judge of us. As long as he's gone to God his creator, who are we to judge Kato?"

Locals intervened on the side of the pastor and scuffles broke out before he was taken away to Kato's father's house to calm the situation. Villagers then refused to bury the body at which point a group of Kato's friends, most of whom were gay, carried his coffin to the grave and buried it themselves.

And yet another heartbreaking chapter in Uganda's state-sponsored anti-gay terror campaign, where gays cannot even be buried in peace ...

Meanwhile: Police report no leads on Kato's murder. Investigators refuse to link Kato's murder to his activism or the vicious anti-gay tabloid outing where his name and photo made the front page with the headline "Hang Them".

READ: President Obama's Statement on the Murder of David Kato

President Barack Obama released this statement on the horrible killing of David Kato, the leading Ugandan gay rights activist who was brutally killed in his own home on Wednesday.

I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato.  In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate.  He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom.  The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.

At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate.  In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered.  It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.

LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights.  My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad.  We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.

You may recall that in December 2009,  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the proposed Ugandan bill that seeks the death penalty for gays as "oppressive". Clinton also released a strong statement on Kato's murder that can be read HERE ...