Kato’s killer gets 30 years
The man who killed leading gay rights activist David Kato has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, international news agencies report.
The BBC reports Ugandan Sidney Nsubunga Enoch told the court that he had no option but to beat Kato to death with a hammer because the gay activist had propositioned him.
Police initially claimed Kato’s death was just one in a string of robberies. They arrested his driver, then arrested another man they claim confessed to killing Kato for not rewarding him for sex.
Kato was been beaten to death at his home in Mukono in January this year.
The advocacy officer for group Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Kato was one of the plaintiffs who won a case against Uganda’s Rolling Stone newspaper that same month for publishing the names, photos and addresses of a string of Ugandan citizens thought to be gay.
The High Court of Uganda ruled that Uganda’s constitution protects the right to dignity and privacy for all Ugandans regardless of their sexual orientation. Specifically, the court ruled that inciting violence against people based on their sexual orientation threatens their right to human dignity.
Some 80 countries or areas around the world have laws that make same-sex behaviour a criminal offence. UNAIDS believes that such laws are discriminatory and create obstacles for people accessing HIV services.