November 10, 2011
Ugandan Court: 30 Years for Killer of Gay Activist
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 1 MIN.
A Ugandan court has sentenced a man to 30 years in prison for killing a gay rights activist.
A high court judge on Thursday handed down the sentence to 22-year-old Sidney Nsubuga Enoch, who admitted that he bludgeoned David Kato to death with a hammer in January.
Kato's slaying came only months after his picture was published in an anti-gay newspaper next to the words "Hang Them."
Enoch said he was provoked by sexual advances that Kato made toward him.
Gay rights activists have blamed an increase in homophobia in Uganda on evangelical preachers.
In May, the Ugandan parliament adjourned without discussing a controversial bill that proposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
