‘Leader of Uganda’s Homosexuals’ Shortlisted for EU Human Rights Defender’s Award

A key leader in Uganda’s LGBTQI community is one of the three nominees for the 2023 EU Human Rights Defenders Award 2023. According to the shortlist announced on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, Richard Lusimbo, journalists Agather Atuhaire and Solomon Sserwanjja will compete for the human rights defenders award.

The Award is meant to recognize a human rights defender who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of human rights in their community over the past twelve months. The EU says Lusimbo, Atuhaire and Sserwanjja were shortlisted “following a review of dozens of nominations received from members of the public.”

The winner of the 12th edition of the EU Human Rights Defenders Award will be announced on May 04, 2023 in Kampala. The Netherlands Embassy will host the event.

In the announcement, Serwanjja, an investigative journalist and Executive Director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism (AIIJ), is praised for “very actively working on key human rights issues through investigations and documentaries.” These include stories on labour rights (externalisation of labour), housing rights and access to basic services (slum populations), and torture (organising large-scale discussions about torture following high-profile cases in 2022). The EU added that Sserwanjja, who previously worked for NTV Uganda and NBS, “has faced threats, arrest and harassment as a result of his reporting over the years.”

On Atuhaire, a freelance journalist and lawyer who previously reported for The Independent Magazine, EU in Uganda praised her for her focus on governance and accountability and a range of media outlets. “In the past year she has used her human rights activism to highlight issues related to civic space, public accountability, misuse and mismanagement of public services and discrimination by public bodies. She has effectively useful social media to break sensitive stories and has faced threats as a result of some of her reporting, particularly on stories covering Parliament,” the EU in Uganda said of Atuhaire.

LUSIMBO

The EU in Uganda, which has partnered with the Embassy of Norway to put together this award, described Lusimbo as “an active and well known LGBT+ and human rights activist, filmmaker and public speaker” and “one of the leaders of the LGBTI community fighting the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.”

“He is known for openly talking about being gay in Uganda, and advocating for rights for marginalised groups. He is the founder and Director General of The Ugandan Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), which aims to bring together and advocate for issues for key population-led organisations. The organisation has cooperated with UNAIDS, UNDP, WHO, Aidsfond, several embassies and other renowned institutions,” the European Union in Uganda further said of Lusimbo in a statement.

In March 2023, Uganda’s Parliament passed the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill. You can see the tough punishments awaiting homosexuals if Museveni signs Anti-Homosexuality Bill into Law HERE.

After Parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality, US President Joe Biden’s government sent a very clear warning to Museveni. (See Details Here).

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