Ugandan Human Rights Activist Suffers Horrific Homophobic Attack

Ugandan human rights activist Steven Kabuye was brutally attacked by assailants on a motorbike and left for dead, the Kuchu Times reported on January 3. Kabuye, who is openly Gay, was brutally attacked while on his way to work by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle, sustaining a deep gash to his forearm, after which he was stabbed in the abdomen.

“I was walking home at about 8.00 am when a motorcycle with two men both wearing helmets charged in front of me. They got off the motorcycle and one of them came charging towards me with a knife. He aimed at my throat which I protected with my hand which was severely sliced. He then proceeded to stab me in the stomach to which I fell to the ground,” Kabuye said.

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In a gruesome video shared on the Kuchu Times Instagram page, Kabuye is seen moments after the attack, writhing on the ground, knife still lodged in his abdomen after the attack. Kabuye’s coworker rushed the injured activist to the hospital after struggling to secure transport. Kabuye underwent surgery and the doctors expect him to make a full recovery, the Kuchu Times also reported.

The attack is believed to have been of a homophobic nature as all of  Kabuye’s belongings remained untouched, including his phone and laptop. Over the last decade, anti-Gay sentiments have grown in the East African country, culminating in the passing into law of one of the most draconian anti-Homosexuality laws in the world, which prescribes life imprisonment and even death for “aggravated” cases of homosexuality.

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Many Ugandans have also publicly supported the law, despite the damage it has caused to Uganda’s reputation internationally.  In a video shared on the Kuchu Times‘ Threads page, one such individual affirms his support for the country’s firm anti-Homosexuality stance by vowing “We shall get a committee to slaughter homosexuals, they should be killed!”

“The government of Uganda’s adamant refusal to repeal the Anti Homosexuality Act 2023, is a testament to state-sponsored genocide towards sexual and gender diverse Ugandans. The fact that state actors feign ignorance towards the violence faced by LGBTQ+ Ugandans claiming lack of data is bad leadership because there are very many cases like Steven’s documented even in the recently published Strategic Response Team report,” read the Kuchu Times article.

Uganda has faced widespread condemnation since the passing of the draconian anti-Homosexuality bill into law in May 2023. Members of the international community led by the US called on the Ugandan government to repeal the law that targets gender and sexual minorities in the country, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) halted the issuance of new loans to Uganda due to the new law. Ugandan political leaders, led by the country’s President Yoweri Museveni, have denounced Homosexuality as un-African and a creation of the West seeking to destroy the Ugandan family unit. Museveni has also described homosexuality as a disease while warning the international community to not interfere in Uganda’s push to outlaw “the practice.”

_{Photos: Unsplash, Kuchu Times}