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SUDAN: Report Cites Human Rights Abuses, Confiscation of Gay Novel

The government of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has responded to almost two years of protests and demonstrations with "arbitrary arrests, detention and torture," according to the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, reports the Sudan Tribune. The popular uprisings began in January 2011 as part of the "Arab Spring" that toppled governments in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen.

Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services are reportedly blocking "online access to popular electronic newspapers and websites" and "confiscat[ing] printed materials"—including hundreds of copies of a pro-gay novel. Sudan is one of four African nations that boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity.

On 7 October the NISS confiscated two thousand books written by Abdal Aziz Baraka Sakin from the 8th International Book Fair held in Khartoum. The International Book Fair was held from 6 - 18 October 2012. Mr. Baraka is an emerging young Sudanese writer whose work focuses on diversity in Sudanese life and culture, particularly illuminating the daily lives of marginalised and hidden groups in Sudan. His novel Algango Masamir Alardh discusses Sudan’s gay community. Other work addresses the plight of street children.

On the morning of 7 October, a large security presence was noticed at the Book Fair. [3500] books by Mr. Baraka were confiscated later in the day [including] 400 copies of Algango Masamir Alardh (“Nails on the Ground”), 300 copies of Maseeh Darfur (“Jesus of Darfur”),  450 copies of Memory of the Alkhandaris, 250 copies of Women from Kampo Khadis...

The 49-year-old Sakin says he "fears for his life" and talks more about the censorship in an interview. All his books have been published in Egypt or Syria. The Guardian reported on the confiscation of Sakin's books last fall—but did not detail the content or storylines. More about the Sudan revolts at Al Jazeera.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has charged President Omar al-Bashir with genocide and war crimes. So far, at least 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million displaced in the civil war between the Khartoum government and Darfur provinces.

In August 2012, cyber activists attacked government websites across Africa to protest anti-LGBT laws that discriminate, imprison or even condemn gays and lesbians to death. Sudan's virtual nertworks suffered the most damage. Sudan is one of four African nations that boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. The other three are Mauritania, Nigeria and Somalia. At least 37 of Africa's 54 nations criminalize same-sex activity.

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SENEGAL: Gay Couple Brutally Assaulted by Parents

Very troubling news to report from the beautiful West African nation of Senegal. A gay couple was viciously beaten when one of the men's parents caught them having sex, according to Gay Star News. The men were later outed in Senegalese media, which has reportedly used the incident to launch another round of anti-gay hysteria in the largely Islamic nation.

The two were making love [at one of their homes in a suburb of Dakar] when his parents returned and caught them at the act on Thursday 27 December. The parents reportedly brutally attacked and beat up the two men. [He] has not been seen since the incident by his family and has reportedly fled elsewhere.

Senegalese media has reported the event replete with anti-gay hate language, describing them as ‘fags’ acting ‘against nature’, and condemning them for not hesitating to control their ‘nature’. The [Senegalese Senxibar portal] wrote that the suburb of ‘Guédiawaye is in shock’ and its inhabitants ‘incensed’. ... The portal went on to remind the readers how recently other ‘fags’ were caught in the act and punished by the law for their ‘acts against nature’.

The well-known Senegalese journalist Tamsir Jupiter Ndiaye was sentenced to four years in prison for homosexuality and battery last October. Ndiaye was arrested after getting into a fight with his male partner. "The court says that Ndiaye used a knife and stabbed his partner in the stomach. The court sentenced Ndiaye's partner to two years in prison," reports the Associated Press.

In April and May 2009, you may recall a number of stories on bloodthirsty, state-sanctioned anti-gay lynch mobs that swept Senegal. One of the more despicable reports concerned the body of a man suspected to have been gay that was exhumed twice from a cemetery.  A 17-year-old accused of being gay by neighbors was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009.

Senegal is one of at least 38 of Africa's 54 nations that currently have laws penalizing same-sex relations or even sexuality. Under Article 3.913 of the Senegalese penal code, "homosexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years" and a fine of up to $3,000.  Four African nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. South Africa is also the only African nation to guarantee marriage equality.

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Africa's Anti-Gay Laws a Key Focus at ICASA 2011 in Addis Ababa

ADDIS ABABA: The legal status of men who have sex with men (MSM) and the criminalization of HIV transmission across Africa was discussed in several plenary sessions at the 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The trend was also the focus of several key sessions, including the standing room only "Key Populations on HIV/AIDS: LGBT."

The Tuesday, December 6 panel was moderated by Jim Pickett of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Paul Perchal of Canada's of EngenderHealth. The panelists included South Africa's Zoe Duby of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and Joel Nana of the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights—read our interview from AIDS 2010 in Vienna.

Duby is in charge of the Tutu Foundation's MSM Sensitivity Training for Health Care Workers. She presented an overview of the legal landscape for African MSM: "African is the continent with the harshest laws when it comes to homosexuality and other sexual minorities. Thirty-eighty African nations have laws criminalizing homosexuality. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for same-sex activity."

Although a number of nations such as Burundi, Cameroon, Nigeria and Uganda have proposed harsher penalties for same-sex relations, there have been some improvements. "Fourteen nations have included MSM in national strategic HIV/AIDS plans," said Duby. "And there is an emerging MSM movement in almost every nation ... as well as regional movements such as AMSHeR.

AMSHer's Joel Nana welcomed support from American and European activitists—but reminded everyone that Africans should take the lead in addresing African problems. "As the African LGBT movement, we cannot work alone," said the attorney and human rights activist. "We have to work together. But when there is an issue with Nigeria, for instance, who usually issues the statements and protests? They are in London and New York. ... Why aren't African LGBTs consulted before these actions?"

Nana and several Nigerian MSM activists in the audience referenced recent anti-Nigerian protests in New York and London. "If anything, that's made the situation worse," said one African activist in the audience. "If those Nigerians in the diaspora feel so strongly, why not return to Nigeria and do something?"

As was the case at most MSM sessions throughout ICASA 2011, the Q&A session was interrupted several times by anti-gay and religious audience members.

Nana and AMSHeR organized a one-day MSM pre-conference on the eve of ICASA 2011. The meeting was forced to change its venue after Ethiopian religious leaders demanded its cancellation at ugly press conference. The MSM pre-con was re-scheduled to a secure location at one of the United Nations compounds. Christian and Islamic clergy and faithful demonstrated across the street from the new location.

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Ethiopian Religious Leaders Protest Gay Meeting at ICASA 2011

ADDIS ABABA: The 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) has started with some drama. Leading Ethiopian religious leaders demanded the cancellation of the Saturday pre-conference that was scheduled to focus on men who have sex with men and HIV/AIDS.

The meeting organized by South African-based  Joel Nana and the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights—read our interview from AIDS 2010 in Vienna—was forced to change its venue after an ugly press conference condemning the day-long event.

The leaders of Ethiopia's main religious denominations faced journalists briefly. Abune Paulos, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was there, along with representatives of the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council, the Roman Catholic Church, and Protestant denominations.

But before anything could be said, Ethiopia's Health Minister Tewodros Adhanom arrived and asked for a word with the religious leaders in private. After nearly an hour, the leaders left without comment. The Reverend Iteffa Gobena Molte, president of the Ethiopian Evangelical Council Mekane Yesus told reporters the event would be rescheduled.

"It's postponed to another time. And when they are ready they will call upon you to come and record them," said Iteffa. Reporters initially were told the news conference had been called to condemn a planned conference on "men who have sex with men."

The website of a group called the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights, or AMSHER, says the meeting is to be held Saturday at an Addis Ababa hotel. A list of speakers posted on the website include Michel Sidibe, director of UNAIDS, and Eric Goosby, the United States Global AIDS Coordinator.

Rev. Iteffa is the Ecumenical Envoy to the African Union, which is based here in Addis Ababa.

The MSM pre-conference was re-scheduled Saturday to a secure location at one of the United Nations compounds. Armed UN troops guarded the MSM activists and meeting. No pictures were allowed. Look for my report next week...

The publicity surrounding the incident went viral across the internet and Facebook, notes the Ethiopian Reporter, which describes the events as "an unprecedented controversy in Addis Ababa."

The Federal Republic of Ethiopia is one of at least 38 of Africa's 54 nations that currently have laws penalizing same-sex relations or even sexuality. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. Prosecutions are rare but same-sex acts in Ethiopia carry penalties of imprisonment of more than ten years.

MSM criminalizations laws and homophobia are the topics of a number of sessions at the United Nations and UNAIDS-sponsored ICASA 2011. Up to ten thousand people—including former President George W. Bush—are expected at the conference that opens today in Addis Ababa.

You May Want to Read:
AIDS 2010: Joel Nana on African MSM

GERMANY: Authorities Expel Hardline, Anti-Gay Jamaican Imam

German immigration authorities have ordered the expulsion of a hardline visiting Jamaican Islamic imam who argues that homosexuals should be condemned to death, reports Deutsche Welle. This comes after Imam Bilal Philips spoke to thousands in Frankfurt.

The officials said that immigration authorities had issued an order - prior to Philips' address to some 2,000 spectators in Frankfurt - instructing the 60-year-old Islam convert to leave Germany within three days, claiming his professed beliefs infringed on federal laws.

Witnesses said no remarks regarding homosexuality were made in the Wednesday address and that its tone was not inflammatory.

[Philips was invited to address the Frankfurt demonstration in defense of "Islam, the Misunderstood Religion" by Pierre Vogel, a German-born convert to Islam who authorities say harbors fundamentalist views that are closely linked to Islamism - the belief that Islam must prevail over political life.

Authorities specifically cited YouTube videos where Philips justified the death penalty as a punishment for proven homosexual acts.

The Jamaican national has been asked to never return to Germany. An arrest warrant has been issued in case Phillips does not leave Germany before the expulsion deadline.

Black GOPer Cain: "I Will Not Appoint a Muslim Federal Judge"

Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is one of the darlings of the Tea Party movement. The Black right-wing presidential hopeful appeared at the Conservative Principles Conference in Des Moines and threw some  red meat to the social conservative audience.

Cain vowed not to appoint any Muslims as federal judges or a members of his cabinet because "there is this attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government."

"It does not belong in our government. This is what happened to Europe. And little by little, to try to be politically correct, they made this little change. They made this little change. And now they’ve got a social problem that they don’t know what to do with hardly. The role of Islam in America is for those that believe in Islam to practice it and leave us alone. Just like Christianity. We have a First Amendment. And I get upset when the Muslims in this country, some of them, try to force their Sharia law onto the rest of us."

Cain also slammed the Obama Administration's health care reform, saying "The Founders got it right. ... We don’t like this radical socialism that’s being shoved down our throats."

Not sure which is more ironic: A Black Republican quoting "the Founders" that deemed him 3/5 a person?  Or a social conservative Christian theocrat upset that anyone would try to "force their [religion] onto the rest of us"? And isn't there a lil something in the Constitution about "no religious test "for office?

Watch the crazy AFTER THE JUMP ...

Indonesian Pop Star Sentenced to 3½ Years for Sex Tapes

In the USA, starring in a "leaked" sex tape could lead to a reality television series. In Indonesia, it can get you in prison.

Twenty-nine-year-old Nazril "Ariel" Irham—lead singer of the popular boyband Peterpan—was sentenced to three and a half years for violating the strict anti-pornography laws in the world's most-populous Muslim-majority nation. The two blurry, homemade sex videos showed him and his current and former celebrity girlfriends, and found their way to the Internet in early June, reports CBSNews.com.

The clips were spread on Facebook and YouTube and quickly distributed by mobile phone, prompting the government to try to impose an online filter on porn, which has been unsuccessful thus far. Irham contends the tapes were stolen from his house and posted online without his consent, but presiding Judge Singgih Budi Prakoso said the pop star did nothing to prevent their widespread distribution.

Irham was the first celebrity to be charged under Indonesia's strict anti-pornography law, which was pushed through by extremists in 2008 despite strong opposition from the public and some members of government. [The judge] sentenced the singer to 3 1/2 years in jail and ordered him to pay a $25,000 fine. The man who admitted to posting the tapes online was sentenced Monday in a separate trial to two years in jail.

An attorney for  Irham said he would appeal the ruling. It is not yet clear if the women in the videos will also be punished.

In 2010, the editor-in-chief of Playboy Indonesia began a two-year prison term for "publishing pictures of scantily clad women," adds the Wall Street Journal.

Five Britons Face Charges for Distributing Leaflets Calling for Executions of Gays

Five Britons are facing charges of "distributing threatening material" and "stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation". The men allegedly distributed leaflets calling for the "death penalty" for homosexuals outside a mosque in Derby, as wellas  inserted the leaflets in private mailboxes, reports the BBC.

Three more men, all from Derby, have been charged with stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation. Ahjaz Ali, 41, Umer Javed, 37 and Mehboob Hassain, 44, are accused of distributing threatening material.

Two other men were charged on the same grounds on Thursday. The charges relate to the distribution of a leaflet, The Death Penalty, in Derby last year. The leaflets were distributed outside mosques in Derby city centre in July 2010. They were also posted through letter boxes in the city.

Alie, Hussain and Javed are also charged with several counts each of sending communication of threatening messages and displaying signs of writing with abusive or insulting messages.

The case will be a landmark prosecution and the five men are the first charged under the new  "gay hatred laws." Crown Prosecution Service attorney Sue Hemming tells the Press Association, "This is the first ever prosecution for this offence and it is the result of close working between the Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Police."

All five will appear at Derby Magistrates' Court on 14 February.

WATCH: President Obama at Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

Today is the ninth anniversary of the horror of September 11, 2001. Memorials are being held at the World Trade Center site, Shanksville, PA and the Pentagon.

President Barack Obama visited the Pentagon, where a hijacked plane slammed into the building and killed 184 people. At the Pentagon Memorial, the President recalled that "awful morning" and spoke of the current political and religious tensions. "They may seek to exploit our freedoms, but we will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust. They may wish to drive us apart, but we will not give in to their hatred and prejudice," Obama said. "As Americans we are not—and never will be—at war with Islam."

Watch the President speak AFTER THE JUMP ...

WATCH: Obama Says Koran-Burning "Recruitment Tool for Al-Qaeda"

UPDATE: Reuters reports Jones agrees NOT to burn Korans.

Speaking this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, President Barack Obama strongly condemned an extreme Florida evangelical church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on September 11. The President said the "stunt" proposed by Gainesville-based Pastor Terry Jones is "contrary to our values as Americans" and could be a "recruitment tool for Al-Qaeda" ... with deadly repercussions.

Said the President: "As Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, I just want him to understand that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan. ... [T]his is a recruitment bonanza for Al Qaeda. You know, you could have serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan. This could increase the recruitment of individuals who’d be willing to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities."

  Pastor Terry Jones says he is willing to "reconsider"  if he is contacted by the Administration. "The White House is considering calling Jones [who] has said he is willing to listen to a call from the White House, Pentagon or State Department," reports ABC News.

Reuters reports Jones agrees NOT to burn Korans.

Hundreds of Afghans rallied earlier this week and chanted "Death to Obama" over the proposed Koran-burning.

McCain and McConnell warn the Koran-burning risks endangering US troops in the field.

Fox News says it will not cover any burning of the Koran.

And Terry Jones has inspired at least one copy cat on the far Cristian-right. Rev. Bob Old of Springfield, TN says he will "set fire to a Quran on Saturday at his home and then post a video of the burning book online. And if he had his way, there would be no Muslims in America."

Watch the President's interview WHEN YOU JUMP ...