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Homos want to kill me
29 Jun 2007- Uganda-A government minister
has said that gay people from around the world send him hate mail everyday
because of his stand against homosexuality.
"I receive at least 20 abusive and threatening mails on my life daily,” Ethics
and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo told reporters yesterday. “As I speak
now, I have seen about 11 mails on my email address waiting for me to read."
He said most of the e-mails are from the United States and the United Kingdom.
The message to him is that he must drop his campaign against gays and lesbians.
Asked to read out some of the emails, the minister declined saying, "The
language those people use while writing messages to me is horrible. I can’t read
them out because it will be a shame for me."
He added: "With such words and language used, I have noticed that those people
are sick. They need help."
Dr Buturo said gays have designed websites promoting their rights complete with
his name and photograph appearing as one of the persecutors of gay people in the
world.
He did not say whether some of the mails are from Ugandans.
Speaking from his ministry’s offices in Kampala, Dr Buturo said the government
is not fighting gays but it is against the practice of homosexuality because it
is immoral.
Homosexuality in Uganda is illegal and punishable with a maximum sentence of
life in prison.
The head of sexual minorities Uganda, Ms Juliet Victor Mukasa, said Dr Buturo is
a stumbling block in their quest for gay rights.
She said, however, she was not aware of any threats against the minister.
"As far as Uganda is concerned, we are not behind and aware of any threats
addressed to the minister," Ms Mukasa said. She added that the minister is
against gays because he is ignorant of their ways.
"Despite fighting us, we shall not be intimidated. We will fight for our rights
and we will win," Ms Mukasa said.
Dr Buturo said that although homosexuality is illegal, the "government will not
criminalise homosexuals" but will put in place measures to counsel and help them
understand that homosexuality is abnormal.
While still information minister last year, Dr Buturo threatened to order an
investigation into allegations that gays in Ugandans had formed a church. He
promised to arrest the church owners if the allegations were true.
He has also since clashed with Mr Kristian von Hornsleth, a Danish national who
ran the Von Hornlesth's Art Project that traded pigs for peoples’ names in
Mukono.
He ensured the non-renewal of the certificate of an NGO in Mukono that was
sponsored and funded by Von Hornsleth, a man he branded a homosexual.
The minister also threatened to arrest and prosecute Von Hornsleth if he dared
set foot in Uganda again.
At the same press conference, the minister warned media organisations against
promoting what he termed as witchcraft through advertising.
He said witchcraft promoters risked losing their licences.
He said witchdoctors are masquerading as traditional healers and advertising
their services in the media, a practice that has cost many people dearly.
"Both the media and the broadcasting councils are expected to take appropriate
action against those sections of the media that are involved in a conspiracy to
subvert Uganda's moral standing," Dr Buturo said.
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