Latest news with #HRW
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Uganda targeting LGBTQ community with hatred and violence: HRW
Uganda's LGBTQ community is facing intensified persecution following the enactment of harsh anti-gay laws two years ago, according to an international NGO. In a report released on Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Ugandan authorities have 'perpetrated widespread discrimination and violence' and 'spread misinformation and hatred against LGBT people' since the 2023 law was enacted. The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act made consensual same-sex relations punishable by up to life imprisonment and 'aggravated homosexuality' punishable by death. As the legislation took effect, rights groups and international partners condemned the law and withdrew funding. The HRW report says the government has followed up the legislation with a campaign of persecution, detailing widespread police abuse, including harassment, extortion, and arbitrary arrests based on perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity. HRW found that the law has ramped up already existing abuse and discrimination against LGBTQ people to unprecedented heights. The report also detailed the rights violations enabled by the law and the devastating effect it has had on the lives of LGBTQ people, activists, allies, and their families in Uganda. During the months leading up to and following the law being passed, the Ugandan authorities, including high-profile political and government figures, used traditional and social media to spread misinformation and hatred against LGBTQ people, the report notes, leading to an uptick in attacks and harassment against them and LGBTQ rights groups. 'For the last two years, LGBT Ugandans have suffered a range of abuses because of the government's willful decision to legislate hate against them,' said Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at HRW. 'The Ugandan authorities need to urgently improve this environment, which enables a wide range of human rights violations and puts countless Ugandans at serious risk of abuse.' The interviewees reported a surge in threatening messages. 'People would keep on calling you [saying]: 'We know where you stay. We know what you do,'' one told HRW. Another activist described how online threats escalated until three men broke into her home in 2023, attacking her and sexually assaulting her friend. She told HRW that one assailant said: 'You make me ashamed to be Ankole. If we want, we can kill you and no one will look for you.'' Ankole is one of Uganda's main ethnic groups. Other Ugandan rights groups have reported similar patterns since the law's passage. Within 24 hours of its enactment, eight cases of physical and sexual violence, including corrective rape, were identified, according to Kampala-based DefendDefenders. 'The number of requests [for assistance] is overwhelming,' a staff member told HRW. Prominent LGBTQ organisations were also targeted, according to the report, including through group bans, staff arrests, and harassment of lawyers representing queer clients. HRW contacted government, legal, and police authorities but received no response.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
France's Macron calls for world order ‘based on law' in Vietnam
French President Emmanuel Macron said a rules-based order was necessary at 'a time of both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation' PHOTO: AFP HANOI - French President Emmanuel Macron called on May 26 for the preservation of a world order 'based on law', as he started a tour of South-east Asia, a region caught up in the confrontation between the United States and China. Mr Macron said a rules-based order was necessary at 'a time of both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation', as he met his Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong in Hanoi. He presented France as a reliable alternative for Vietnam, caught between Washington, which is threatening to impose trade levies, and Beijing, an important trade partner with which it is also embroiled in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. 'With France, you have a familiar, safe, and reliable friend ... and in the period we are living in, this alone has great value,' Mr Macron said during a meeting with Mr To Lam, the secretary-general of the Communist Party and Vietnam's top leader. The two countries signed around a dozen agreements on May 26, including in the field of nuclear power, which Hanoi is keen to develop as it seeks to meet soaring energy demands while reducing carbon emissions. Budget airline Vietjet also announced an order for 20 widebody Airbus A330-900 planes, doubling its purchases of the model from the aviation giant in a deal worth an estimated US$8 billion (S$10.27 billion). 'It is truly a new page being written between our two countries... a desire to write an even more ambitious page of the relationship between Vietnam and France, between Asean and the European Union,' Mr Macron said. Call to raise rights issue Mr Macron arrived in Hanoi late on May 25, the first stop of a six-day trip that will take in Indonesia and Singapore. After paying tribute on May 26 at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, Mr Macron had lunch with Mr Lam at the capital's Temple of Literature, where the two watched a traditional music and dance performance. Mr Lam is considered the most powerful leader in Vietnam, a one-party state which tolerates no dissent and moves quickly to suppress any criticism. Ahead of Mr Macron's first official visit to the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) pressed him to voice concerns about 'the Vietnamese government's worsening rights record'. Vietnam has more than 170 political prisoners who have been charged and convicted under 'draconian laws' that criminalise free expression and peaceful activism for human rights and democracy, HRW said. A public appeal would be out of character for the French president, who regularly says he prefers to raise sensitive issues behind closed doors. Vietnam on 'front line' Mr Macron hopes to sell Hanoi his offer of a 'third way' between Washington and Beijing. 'Vietnam is really on the front line of all the tensions that are growing in the South China Sea,' a senior French diplomatic official told AFP. Hanoi shares Washington's concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested waterway, but it has close economic ties with its giant neighbour. Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46 per cent tariff by US President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz. Mr Macron's 'Indo-Pacific strategy' – which proposes a third way to the countries of the region – has gained new relevance due to Mr Trump's trade war, according to the aide. He said the president was 'defending the idea of international trade rules, we don't want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails'. Vietnam has been careful to follow its own balancing act between China and the United States. It has adopted a 'bamboo diplomacy' approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
France's Emmanuel Macron calls for world order 'based on law' in Vietnam
France's President Emmanuel Macron called in Vietnam on Monday (May 26, 2025) for the preservation of a world order "based on law", as he started a tour of Southeast Asia, a region caught up in the confrontation between the United States and China. During a press statement alongside his Vietnamese counterpart, Luong Cuong, in Hanoi, Mr. Macron said a rules-based order was necessary at "a time of both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation." The President presented France as a reliable alternative for Vietnam, caught between Washington, which is threatening to impose enormous levies on its exports to the United States, and Beijing, an important trade partner with which it is also embroiled in territorial disputes in the South China Sea. After his arrival in Hanoi on Sunday (May 25, 2025), the first stop of a six-day trip that will take in Indonesia and Singapore, Mr. Macron emphasised a shared vision with Vietnam, a country of 100 million people experiencing stellar growth. On Monday (May 26, 2025), around a dozen agreements were signed between the two countries, including in the field of nuclear power, which Hanoi is keen to develop as it seeks to meet soaring energy demands. Budget airline Vietjet also announced an order for 20 widebody Airbus A330-900 planes, doubling its purchases of the model from the aviation giant in a deal worth an estimated $8 billion. "It is truly a new page being written between our two countries... a desire to write an even more ambitious page of the relationship between Vietnam and France, between ASEAN and the European Union," President Macron said. After paying tribute at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought against French colonial occupation, President Macron met his counterpart, Vietnam President Luong Cuong. The French President later had lunch with Communist Party General Secretary, Tô Lâm, at the capital's star attraction, the Temple of Literature. Mr. Lâm is considered the most powerful leader in Vietnam, a one-party state that tolerates no dissent and moves quickly to suppress any criticism. Ahead of Mr. Macron's first official visit to the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) pressed him to voice concerns about "the Vietnamese government's worsening rights record." 'Vietnam has more than 170 political prisoners who have been charged and convicted under 'draconian laws' that criminalise free expression and peaceful activism for human rights and democracy,' HRW said. A public appeal would be out of character for the French President, who regularly says he prefers to raise sensitive issues behind closed doors. Vietnam on 'front line' Mr. Macron hopes to sell Hanoi his offer of a "third way" between Washington and Beijing. "Vietnam is really on the front line of all the tensions that are growing in the South China Sea," a senior French diplomatic official told AFP. Hanoi shares Washington's concerns about Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the contested waterway, but it has close economic ties with its giant neighbour. Vietnam has also been threatened with a hefty 46% tariff by U.S. President Donald Trump as part of his global trade blitz. Mr. Macron's "Indo-Pacific strategy," which proposes a third way to the countries of the region, has gained new relevance owing to Trump's trade war, according to the aide. He said the President was "defending the idea of international trade rules, we don't want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails." Vietnam has been careful to follow its own balancing act between China and the United States. It has adopted a "bamboo diplomacy" approach of seeking strength through flexibility, or looking to stay on good terms with the world's major powers.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Uganda's LGBTQ community in 'climate of fear' since anti-gay law: HRW
NAIROBI: Uganda's LGBTQ community faces worsening persecution since the country passed one of the world's harshest anti-gay laws two years ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. The Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 imposed penalties of up to life in prison for consensual same-sex relations and contained provisions that make "aggravated homosexuality" punishable by death. Rights groups and international partners pulled funding and condemned the law. HRW interviewed almost 60 people from the LGBTQ community, their families, activists and politicians for a report on the law's impact. "LGBT people, LGBT rights organisations, are basically living in a climate of fear because there's a law that justifies people taking out violence against them," HRW researcher Oyem Nyeko told AFP. "(The law) made homophobia legitimate. It institutionalised it." HRW said in the report that police had "harassed, extorted and arbitrarily arrested and detained people on the basis of their perceived or real sexual orientation or gender identity". Interviewees said threatening phone calls had hugely increased since the law was passed. "People would keep on calling you [saying]: 'We know where you stay. We know what you do'," one told HRW. Another activist said virtual threats had escalated until three men broke into her home in 2023, attacking her and sexually assaulting her friend. "One of the men said: 'I am not just beating you for your unholiness but because you make me ashamed to be [ethnically] Ankole. If we want, we can kill you and no one will look for you'," she told HRW, referring to one of Uganda's main ethnic groups.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Uganda LGBTQ community in 'climate of fear' since anti-gay law: HRW
. NAIROBI:Uganda's LGBTQ community faces worsening persecution since the country passed one of the world's harshest anti-gay laws two years ago, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. The Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 imposed penalties of up to life in prison for consensual same-sex relations and contained provisions that make "aggravated homosexuality" punishable by death. Rights groups and international partners pulled funding and condemned the law. HRW interviewed almost 60 people from the LGBTQ community, their families, activists and politicians for a report on the law's impact. "LGBT people, LGBT rights organisations, are basically living in a climate of fear because there's a law that justifies people taking out violence against them," HRW researcher Oyem Nyeko told AFP. "(The law) made homophobia legitimate. It institutionalised it." HRW said in the report that police had "harassed, extorted and arbitrarily arrested and detained people on the basis of their perceived or real sexual orientation or gender identity". Interviewees said threatening phone calls had hugely increased since the law was passed. "People would keep on calling you [saying]: 'We know where you stay. We know what you do'," one told HRW. Another activist said virtual threats had escalated until three men broke into her home in 2023, attacking her and sexually assaulting her friend. "One of the men said: 'I am not just beating you for your unholiness but because you make me ashamed to be [ethnically] Ankole. If we want, we can kill you and no one will look for you'," she told HRW, referring to one of Uganda's main ethnic groups. Other rights groups in Uganda witnessed a similar trend after the law was passed. "Within just 24 hours of parliament passing the law, they identified eight cases of physical and sexual violence, including cases of rape by men of people they presumed to be gay in order to 'convert' them to heterosexuality," said DefendDefenders, a Kampala-based organisation supporting activists. "The number of requests (for assistance) is overwhelming," a member of the group told HRW. The report noted that prominent LGBTQ organisations had been targeted, with groups banned and staff arrested or threatened. Lawyers representing LGBTQ people were also victims of "heightened harassment", HRW said. The NGO contacted the government, police and public prosecutors to request information and present their research findings but received no response.
