URGENT PRESS STATEMENT: ACTIVISTS CALL

ON GOVERNMENT TO STOP THE DEPORTATION

OF UGANDAN DOCTOR

19 February 2014

ur aul nsubuga Semugoma a ugandan medlcal docLor and human rlghLs acLlvlsL
has been under arresL for Lhe pasL 48 hours and ls faclng Lhe LhreaL of
deporLaLlon Lo hls counLry of blrLh.

A group of SouLh Afrlcan human rlghLs organlsaLlons are urgenLly aLLempLlng Lo
halL hls deporLaLlon as aul ls wanLed" ln uganda for hls acLlvlsm around lesblan,
gay, blsexual and Lransgender (LC81) lssues ln hls counLry.

aul has been ln Lhe forefronL wlLh Lhe ugandan arllamenL ln flghLlng Lhe AnLl-
homosexuallLy 8lll, were he presenLed how Lhe blll noL only ls a human rlghLs
lnfrlngemenL buL also a healLh access dllemma Lo Lhe Men who have Sex wlLh
Men (MSM) communlLy. 1he human rlghLs slLuaLlon ln uganda has deLerloraLed,
and Lhe LC81 communlLy ls parLlcularly vulnerable aL Lhls Llme.

aul ls aL rlsk should he be deporLed Lo uganda. Cne of hls close frlends uavld
kaLo was murdered ln 2011 and he felL he was noL so safe anymore and declded
Lo move Lo SouLh Afrlca wlLh hls parLner where he has been a volunLeer docLor aL
Anova PealLh lnsLlLuLe for Lhe pasL Lhree years, worklng speclflcally wlLh MSM.

aul's speclal skllls appllcaLlon has been pendlng slnce March 2012. Pls
appllcaLlon was losL Lwlce by Lhe ueparLmenL of Pome Affalrs, a case was lodged
and he was requesLed Lo re-apply ln whlch he dld ln Aprll 2013 and agaln ln
AugusL 2013. aul was allowed Lo Lravel uslng hls offlclal passporL and a recelpL
from Lhe deparLmenL. AfLer several Lrlps ln and ouL of SouLh Afrlca, aul reLurned
from a meeLlng ln Zlmbabwe earller Lhls week and was arresLed.

Lawyers yesLerday managed Lo geL a courL order Lo halL Lhe LhreaLened
deporLaLlon and Lo order hls release. Powever lasL nlghL lmmlgraLlon offlclals
unlawfully refused Lo release hlm. As a resulL hls lawyers are reLurnlng Lo Lhe
SouLh CauLeng Plgh CourL Loday Lo secure anoLher order for hls release.

AcLlvlsLs wlll gaLher aL Lhe courL Loday ln supporL of aul's release.

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CLnuL8 !uS1lCL, AnCvA PLAL1P lnS1l1u1L, CCALl1lCn Cl Al8lCAn LLS8lAnS
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lurLher enqulrles:
Clenn de SwardL 0716713873
Marcus Low 0829628309