Uganda will chair the UN Assembly despite persecuting gays

The General Assembly of the UN will be chaired from September by the Foreign Minister of Uganda, Sam Kutesa, elected Wednesday despite the criticism it has generated for its candidacy due the laws against homosexuals approved this year for his country: Uganda punishes “homosexual acts” punishable by 14 years in prison and up to life imprisonment in the case of “aggravated homosexuality” as maintaining a relationship over time.

The controversy has not stopped Kutesa access charge, for which he had the backing of the African countries. Ugandan minister will preside over the General Assembly, which brings together all the Member States, for a year from next September.

No delegation has spoken publicly today against Kutesa, something that they have made repeatedly in recent days NGOs, citizen groups and several U.S. Congressmen.

“There are serious doubts about the commitment of Sam Kutesa to the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said the specialist Africa division at Human Rights Watch Maria Burnett, who felt very “problematic ” it will chair the authority overseeing the work of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.

According to Burnett, the minister defended the “deeply discriminatory” law on homosexuality in Uganda, which has been severely criticized by the UN and much of the international community.

It is, in short, a law that ” institutionalizes discrimination against homosexuals and could encourage harassment and violence against people because of their sexual orientation ” in the words of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

In recent days, at least two U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (both for the state of New York), spoke out against the candidacy of Kutesa and start a petition to reject his appointment brought together more than 13,000 signatures.

Promoters not only criticize the minister ‘s stance on homosexuality, but mark him as the center of several corruption scandals in the country and remember the repressive nature of the Ugandan government. Kutesa asked by reporters about the controversy after being chosen today denied the allegations against him and said that the critics are not properly informed.

Also focus efforts on ” advancing gender equality and empowerment of women,” he said in remarks to reporters. The Government of Uganda adopted law, however, on February 1 against pornography, among other ” insidious ” behavior, prohibits and penalizes the use of  miniskirt. The rule vetoes any image or representation, underwear or unclothed discover body parts such as breasts, thighs, buttocks and genitals. “If someone is wearing something that irritates or excites others, especially the opposite sex, this is a bad outfit, so you’d better hurry to change,” then said the minister of Ethics and Integrity, Simon Lokodo.

Secretary-General Ban Ki -moon, who has repeated on many occasions its commitment against homophobia has today  dodge the issue and has been limited to remind that the job of President of the Assembly should be guided by the “principles and obligations of the Charter of the United Nations. ” Ban congratulated Kutesa and highlighted the experience will bring to the position thanks to the many positions he has held throughout his career.

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Posted by Nadeem Bajwa on Jun 15 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.