Rights group assails printing of alleged gay men's names

POSTED: 0130 GMT (0930 HKT), September 7, 2006
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NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A Ugandan newspaper's decision to publish the names of alleged gay men is a chilling development in the African country's vilification of homosexuals, a U.S.-based human rights watchdog said Thursday.

Human Rights Watch said the publication of the first names, workplaces and other identifying information of the 45 men could be foreshadowing a government crackdown in the country, where sodomy is a crime punishable by life in prison.

"For years, President Yoweri Museveni's government routinely threatens and vilifies lesbians and gays, and subjects sexual rights activists to harassment," Human Rights Watch researcher Jessica Stern said in a statement.

"At a moment when sensational publicity has spread fear among a whole community, the authorities must exercise their responsibility to protect, not persecute."

The rights group said the list of names was published last month in the tabloid newspaper Red Pepper and that the paper has since told activists that it plans to publish a similar list of alleged lesbians.

Similar allegations by the newspaper have led to police action, Human Rights Watch said.

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