Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
A prominent Ugandan LGBT+ activist who was stabbed last week by unknown assailants told Tortoise he has fled the country as his life “isn’t guaranteed”. Steven Kabuye has been an active campaigner against one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBT+ laws, which was signed into law last March by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The Anti-Homosexuality Act imposes life imprisonment on anyone convicted of homosexual acts; criminalises the “promotion of homosexuality” and includes the death penalty in some cases. A rights group has reported at least 300 human rights violations against suspected homosexuals since the law was introduced. In a graphic video posted to Kabuye’s social media, the 25 year-old can be seen writhing in pain on the ground with a deep laceration in his right arm and a knife stuck in his stomach. According to a Ugandan police statement, Kabuye was left for dead by two unidentified individuals who jumped off a motorcycle and attacked him near the capital city of Kampala.