Canada expels Uganda’s homophobic envoy
Ugandan High Commissioner was accused of engaging in partisan politics in Canada
Canada has expelled Uganda’s High Commissioner Joy Ruth Acheng, accusing her of breaching the diplomatic code of conduct.
Acheng has served as Uganda’s High Commissioner to Canada since September 2017. Commonwealth countries appoint high commissioners to each other rather than ambassadors, but the title confers the same rank.
The envoy was declared “persona non grata” on August 21, just a week after the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, in which Acheng is seen confronting NUP protestors in Toronto, Canada, while wearing the ruling party colours. Kyagulanyi accused Acheng of openly engaging in partisan politics in Canada.
In the video, Acheng accuses NUP supporters of abducting and killing themselves and posing as homosexuals to secure Canadian visas. She also praises the ruling party and President Museveni.
The Museveni regime has long been suspected of carrying out targeted abductions and killings of opposition supporters in the run up to the 2021 general elections.
Acheng reportedly alerted the Canadian government of several NUP supporters who were using fake claims of being homosexuals to secure visas.
She can also be heard threatening to call Canadian police to remove NUP supporters from the protest area.
Ambassadors and diplomatic envoys are strictly prohibited from engaging in party politics at their missions, to maintain neutrality and uphold international diplomacy principles.
Acheng clearly crossed the red line, according to political analyst and NEED Party Secretary-General Odaka Asuman.
“The government of Uganda should also punish Ambassador Acheng for her unbecoming behaviors” Asuman says.
According to the Daily Monitor (an independent newspaper in Uganda), the envoy has blamed her deportation on the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a draconian law passed last year that strictly punishes homosexuality activity and advocacy, which has drawn strong condemnation from western countries and human rights organizations. Much as the Canadian government remains strongly opposed to the AHA, there is no evidence to back her claim. Using homosexuality as a scapegoat or diversionary talk has become a common tactic by the regime apologists whenever they are held accountable for their inappropriate conduct.
“If the issue was AHA, I believe the Canadians would have dismissed her at the time Museveni assented to the bill” says Asuman.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly condemned AHA, describing it as despicable, and urged world leaders to reject it, saying it directly violates the rights of LGBTQ communities around the world.
“I want to condemn in the absolute strongest terms the despicable law put forward by the Ugandan government discriminating against the LGBTQ communities. Canada understands this is totally against the rights of LGBTQ communities. We will be looking at how to continue with how to support the communities around the world. I called upon leaders around the world and all Commonwealth governments to condemn this despicable piece of legislation,” Trudeau said in a statement after the bill passed last year.
Ugandan journalist Remmy Bahati expressed disbelief over the envoy’s conduct.
“This unprecedented move has raised significant concerns about the ambassador’s behavior and cast doubt on the judgment of the authorities responsible for their appointment. The incident is now under intense scrutiny, with experts questioning how such a lapse in character and oversight could occur within diplomatic ranks,” she posted on X.
Rebecca Kabejja, a Ugandan feminist lawyer and human rights advocate, expressed disappointment in Acheng for not taking responsibility for her actions.
“The gays in Uganda have really suffered! Joy Ruth Acheng is uncouth, unprofessional, unwilling to learn, incompetent and so many more, but here she is blaming the gays. Ugandan leaders are so pathetic and unwise. This is embarrassing,” she posted on X.
