Over 70 religious representatives and 25 organizations have issued a statement in response to the violent death of David Kato in Uganda, calling on religious leaders “to speak, act and urge their faithful to reach out in compassion towards those who are marginalized for any reason and to resist all attempts to promote intolerance and hatred.”
David Kato was beaten to death in his home in Kampala in January. The official investigation is ongoing, with police in Uganda saying the motive was robbery. His death, however, has highlighted the discrimination and violence faced by sexual minorities in Uganda and elsewhere.
Kato was a leading human rights activist in Uganda, who had recently won a court case against a Ugandan newspaper for publishing his photo, name and address, along with those of other gay people, with the caption, “Hang Them.” In Uganda, homosexuality is illegal and an anti-homosexuality bill introduced last year called for imposing life imprisonment for homosexual activity, and the death penalty in some cases.
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, of which the Presbyterian Church is a member, prepared the statement calling on “all governmental, civil and religious authorities in Uganda and around the world to speak out against hate, stigma and discrimination, and instead, in words and deeds, recognize and promote the essential worth and dignity of every person.”
– Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
