Uganda: Missing the point in 10-year sentence for sodomy
COMMENTARY
Several media outlets missed a key fact in their coverage of the 10-year prison sentence imposed Sept. 18 on Chris Mubiru, a former manager of Uganda’s national football (soccer) team, The Cranes.
The conviction was for non-consensual sodomy. Mubiru was acquitted of a similar charge in a consensual sexual encounter.
Many LGBTI activists hailed that acquittal while accepting or welcoming the conviction as a matter of law, not of gay rights.
For example, Adrian Jjuuko, executive director of Uganda’s Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, stated:
“For HRAPF, we are happy that the accused was convicted where sex was non-consensual. This goes a long way to show that rapists and defilers are being dealt with seriously.
“The acquittal where the sex was consensual is very welcome, because there should be no criminal sanctions for same-sex relations between consenting adults. That falls in the realm of the right to privacy and the right to dignity.”
These accounts of the sentencing missed the point:
- Ugandan ex-soccer manager jailed for 10 years for same-sex offences (Deutsche Welle)
- Sodomy – Chris Mubiru Sentenced to 10 Years (All Africa / The Observer)
- Ex- Cranes manager Mubiru gets 10 years for sodomy (New Vision, Uganda)
- Chris Mubiru handed 10 year jail sentence for his sodomy acts (Kawowo Sports, Uganda)
- Chris Mubiru Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail; Victim Gets Shs 50M Compensation (Uganda News. Its article at least implies that the incident was non-consensual.)
The O-Blog-Dee blog got it right:
- Ugandan Chris Mubiru Sentenced to 10 years in Sodomy Case (O-Blog-Dee blog)
“The court found that the act was not consensual as [the victim] was apparently drugged. Mubiru was found innocent in a second charge, with another man, where the act was apparently consensual,” O-Blog-Dee reported, correctly.
Related articles
- Ugandan judge makes distinction between forceful and consensual sodomy (Sebaspace)
- LGBTI advocates hail Uganda acquittal, unite against rape (76crimes.com)
Actually I purposely chose not to address the very obvious glaring issues with this case in my ‘western’ public forum. For reasons better not made public at this time in my opinion!
So no it certainly did not go unnoticed.