The International Criminal Court may arrest a Uganda MP who put forward the bill, a tabloid newspaper who called on the public to ‘hang’ gay people, and a pastor who shows gay porn to stir up hatrd
The International Criminal Court is considering arresting the author of Uganda’s ‘Kill the Gays’ bill.
Magembe Norman, a straight Ugandan gay rights activist, has received a response to his complaint calling for the arrest of three extremist anti-gay spokespeople.
The subjects of the complaint are Uganda MP David Bahati, pastor Martin Ssempa and Rolling Stone editor Giles Muhamel.
In a letter passed exclusively to Gay Star News, the ICC said they were ‘analysing the situation’ provided and will consider whether there is reasonable basis to believe the crimes have been committed and the gravity of the crimes.
Norman said he felt ‘very optimistic’ his complaint would succeed.
Speaking to GSN, he said: ‘I feel that I am almost there, and that it is just a matter of time before justice is served.
‘From the first time I got my fingers on the keyboard to type this complaint, I had no single grain of doubt, the only thing on my mind was “keep on writing”, you’ll achieve what you want and that feeling keeps on growing everyday.’
The gay rights activist said he wanted to bring this to the world stage to ensure Bahati, Ssempa and Muhamel are punished for their crimes against humanity.
‘It serves as a warning to the others that persecution of LGBTs is a criminal offense and they will never get away with it,’ Norman said.
‘In many countries, killing or harassing a gay person is a source of pride and non-punishable and so I believe that actions such as mine will change that.’
Bahati, who submitted the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, has expressed a desire to ‘kill every last gay person in Uganda’.
Pastor Martin Ssempa has reportedly shown hardcore gay porn in churches to stir up anti-gay sentiment, and has referred to LGBT people as ‘abnormal’.
Giles Muhame, the former editor of tabloid Rolling Stone, published a front-page article showing 100 pictures of Uganda’s most well known gay people.
The story listed the names, addresses, and pictures, as well as a caption reading ‘Hang Them’.
It is believed this is why gay rights activist David Kato was brutally murdered by two hammer strikes to the head.
When asked about Kato’s death, Muhame said: ‘I have no regrets about the story. We were just exposing people who were doing wrong.’
While the ‘Kill The Gays’ bill continues to be used as a threat by the Uganda government, homosexuality is still illegal. Gay women can be punished for up to seven years imprisonment, while gay men can face a lifetime in jail.
Update: Norman has also launched a petition to ask the ICC to take action. You can sign the petition here.
by Joe Morgan
Source – Gay Star News
