The Pan African ILGA, a body representing 41 movements of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and intersexual people in Africa has written to the Commonwealth complaining about the behaviour of the Ugandan police towards LGBTI activists in Kampala during the Comonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala last November. Read the full letter below. (20-JAN-08)
 
Based on information received from LGBTI activists in East Afica, this article has been edited and prepared for publication here by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz. 

Your Excellency,
 
We are the Pan Africa ILGA, a body representing 41 movements of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and Intersexual people in Africa.
 
We kindly address you today to express our deep concern about the Ugandan police brutality towards LGBTI people during the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting) 2007.
 
On the 23rd of  November 2003, Ugandan and Kenyan Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) speakers were schedule to give their address at the CHOGM speakers Conner, the People’s Space, a space supposed to be the sanctuary of the freedom and diversity for ALL Commonwealth people. This people were forced violently by the police to leave the place and kept outside without having the opportunity to exercise their rights as Commonwealth citizens.
 
The discrimination and violence carried out by police at the People’s Space
is an affront to basic human rights in Uganda. This behavior has been supported by the Ugandan State, disrespecting all the treaties on Human Rights they have signed.
 
These LGBTI people have the same rights as any other human being.  We are outraged not only by police violence but also by the silence of the meeting organizers. Now we ask, where is the equality and respect of Human Rights that every Commonwealth citizen is entitled? 

Commonwealth has shamed us all
 
Maputo, December 2007
 
Linda Baumann                                                     Danilo da Silva
Namibia                                                                Mozambique
Co-Chair of Pan Africa ILGA                                   Co-Chair of Pan Africa ILGA