Gay Ugandan man seeks asylum in UK; EU group condemns Ugandan homosexuality conference

Gay Without Borders is reporting that John Bosco Nyombi is back in the UK after being returned to Uganda against his will. While there, he was beaten and had to hide from police to avoid detention, according to GWB.
Nyombi’s case made headlines in September of 2008 but little has been reported since. I post this case in light of the recent ex-gay conference in Kampala, Uganda involving Exodus International board member, Don Schmeirer, International Healing Foundation’s Caleb Brundidge and Scott Lively. During this series of meetings, a new anti-gay group was formed, and Scott Lively called for tougher criminal laws and forced therapy of homosexuals.
Bosco claims he was beaten and lived under threat.

He fled to the UK from Uganda where homosexuality is illegal and carries a punishment of life in prison.
His case has attracted publicity in Uganda.
Mr Bosco said in a statement seen by the court that, on his return to his homeland, his circumstances had become “quite desperate”.
He had been beaten up during a period in detention and he had now gone into hiding to avoid being interviewed by the police about his homosexuality.
The judge said the evidence before him made it perfectly plain that Mr Bosco had come to the notice of the authorities, and this had added to the risk of his human rights being breached by reason of his homosexuality.
In rejecting the Home Office’s argument that it was safe to return Mr Bosco to Uganda, the judge said: “I find it impossible to conclude, on the basis of the evidence as it now is, that there is not the real possibility that a judge might find that he is at risk if he is returned (to his homeland) by reason of his homosexuality.”

Elsewhere, a LGBT group affiliated with the European Union blasted the Uganda conference and the American participants by name:

European Parliament’s Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights strongly condemns the meeting of 5 March between several Ugandan parliamentarians and Scott Lively, Don Schmierer, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Stephen Langa of the USA and Uganda-based groups working to diminish human rights of LGBT persons.

In my view, American groups should be condemning the situation in Uganda and not enabling it.

7 thoughts on “Gay Ugandan man seeks asylum in UK; EU group condemns Ugandan homosexuality conference”

  1. Plenty of folks our view liberal abortion policies as infanticide.

    Guess it must be Friday, when my eyes generally start crossing from too much rading and writing. That should read “view our. …”

  2. Yes, of course the international community has a role in rightly condemning inhumane treatment in any country. We walk a fine line with hypocrisy in our own country, of course. Plenty of folks our view liberal abortion policies as infanticide. And our own president has deemed the question of when life begins “above his pay grade,” while also refusing to support the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in his state of Illinois while still a senator there. We still have plenty logs in our own eyes.

  3. Every country has it own laws. It is not fair to criticise the moral norms of a country.

    I disagree. Sometimes, there are broader, over-arching moral standards that take precedence. Should we not criticize a country whose moral norms might include infanticide or torture?

  4. Every country has it own laws. It is not fair to criticise the moral norms of a country. We shall feel sorry for those men who are forced and raped the gay men in order to get them on board.
    In Uganda for example most men are married with children and are not gay but can u imagine how many people would get hurt if one day the dad in this family claims to have been raped by another man. It is unbelievable that you people accept this but in my view the gay people should quarantined while they wait for a psychiatric review and thereafter proper treatment.

  5. I just called the EXODUS office about this. The receptionist was unaware of the conference, put me on hold and then this: “EXODUS has no statement at this time.”
    Whether it’s a a request for a clear anti-bullying statement or a condemnation of what Warren calls Cameron’s “abhorrent” teachings, Alan’s pattern, when confronted with the need to do the right thing, is to dig in his heels and do nothing. Once again, SHAME on EXODUS!

  6. From Bow Turtle Bulletin:
    “Since that time, conference speaker Scott Lively has endorsed the criminalization of gay persons and declared that the Ugandan government should “subject the criminals of homosexuality to a therapy”.
    To date, we’ve not heard back from Alan (Chambers) as to whether he, Schmierer, and the rest of the Exodus leadership denounce the theme of Schmierer’s conference or if they too endorse criminalization of homosexuality and forced ex-gay therapy. Until we hear otherwise, we must assume that their silence is an indication that their board member is representing them in Uganda and that they endorse the positions taken by the conference.”

    Alan Chambers won’t do it. He doesn’t have the moral courage to do it. SHAME on Alan and SHAME on EXODUS!

Comments are closed.