The 39th Congress of the NRPTT—Nonviolent Radical Party Transnational and Transparty, held in Chianciano, Italy from Februrary 17-20, 2011,

• considering the events that have taken and are taking place in Uganda and in other African countries against homosexual and transgender persons, where hate and prejudice—systematically and deliberately fueled by fundamentalist religious and political organizations in order to spread fear and to designate an enemy against whom to gather consensus and acquire power—have fomented increasingly violent attacks;
• considering that on Nov. 27-28, 2010, David Kato Kisule, the leader of the Ugandan civil rights movements and an activist of “No Peace Without Justice”, had been invited to take part in the 4th Congress of the Radical Association “Certi Diritti” [“Certain Rights”] where he had denounced the dramatic lynching and violent harassment of all kinds experienced by gays, lesbians, and transgender persons in his country, and who had joined the Radical Association “Certi Diritti”;
• considering that on Jan. 26, 2011, David Kato Kisule was brutally murdered in his home and that, following the murder, unanimous reactions took place throughout the world to condemn it and demanding that Ugandan authorities promote respect and safety for gays, lesbians and trans gender persons in their country;
• considering that homosexuality is a crime in Uganda, and that a bill has long been under examination which is yet more illiberal, as it provides for even harsher punishments—including the death penalty—against homosexual and transgender persons and against associations and organizations supporting their rights;
• considering that Ugandan activists incur sizable legal expenses in connection with the various ongoing lawsuits, some of which they themselves initiated in order to defend their own dignity, honor, and credibility;
• acknowledging the participation in the 39th Congress of Pepe Julian and Auf, representatives of the organization SMUG—Sexual Minorities Uganda, and of Francis Onyango, the lawyer who represented David Kato before Uganda’s High Court in the lawsuit against the lowly local publication ‘Rolling Stone,’ which had instigated the lynching of homosexuals by publishing the names, pictures, and addresses of one hundred of them (the lawsuit was subsequently won by David);

calls on the Party’s steering bodies to promote transnational support of civil rights and liberties in Uganda and in all countries where homosexuality and transsexuality are crimes, and to support the French proposal for the universal decriminalization, submitted to the United Nations in December 2009;

commits the Party’s bodies to promoting political support of liberal members of Parliament and civil rights supporters in Uganda and in other countries where opposing the draconian homophobic and transphobic legislation under discussion is currently extremely hazardous;
 

© 2011 Partito Radicale. Tutti i diritti riservati