KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s high court has ordered a controversial newspaper to stop publishing the names and photographs of people it says are gay, ruling that the publication is violating their right to privacy.
A gay-rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda, sought the injunction after the paper on Monday published its second straight edition with names and photos. The first edition, published in early October, sparked attacks against at least four gay Ugandans, Sexual Minorities Uganda said.
Rolling Stone’s managing editor, Giles Muhame, says publishing photos of gay Ugandans can help police find them. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, and anyone caught in a homosexual act can face up to 14 years in prison.
The newspaper is not affiliated with the American magazine of the same name.
Gays in Uganda say they have faced a year of attacks and harassment since a lawmaker introduced a bill in October 2009 that would impose the death penalty for some homosexual acts and life in prison for others. The bill has not come up for a vote.
The legislation was drawn up after a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that promote therapy that they say allows gays to become heterosexual. It became political poison after international condemnation, and many Christian leaders have denounced it.
