Human rights groups have called on Ugandan authorities to "thoroughly investigate" the "horrific, brutal murder" of an LGBTIQ+ activist, as some in the African nation push to revive the death penalty for gay sex.
Brian Wasswa, who was gay and gender non-conforming, was attacked at his home in Jinja last week before dying of his injuries.
According to Sexual Minorities Uganda, the 28-year-old was "hacked in the head with a gardening tool".
Relatives of Brian Wasswa carry his coffin during his funeral last week. Source: Human Rights Watch
Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch Oryem Nyeko called on the Ugandan government to act immediately.
"In the wake of the horrific murder of Brian Wasswa, the Ugandan government should be making it crystal clear that violence is never acceptable, regardless of one's sexual orientation or gender identity," he said.
"It is incumbent on the Ugandan authorities to deliver justice for the murder of Brian Wasswa.
"Police should conduct thorough investigations, and political leaders should refrain from any rhetoric that might encourage violence against LGBT people."
Gay sex is punishable with life imprisonment under British colonial law in Uganda.
The murder comes as calls grow in some parts of Ugandan society and among MPs to reintroduce a bill colloquially known as "Kill the Gays".
A version of the bill passed in 2014 but was nullified by the courts on procedural grounds.
Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo last week said parliament wanted to introduce a bill that would criminalise so-called "promotion and recruitment" by gay people and would include the death penalty for "grave" consensual same-sex acts.
Yoweri Museveni, who has been president of Uganda since 1986. Source: Getty
He said young people in the country were being negatively influenced by same-sex relations.
"Homosexuality is not natural to Ugandans, but there has been a massive recruitment by gay people in schools, and especially among the youth, where they are promoting the falsehood that people are born like that," he said.
In a statement, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda Dr Frank Mugisha warned of such language.
"When politicians, members of parliament, call for the reintroduction of the 'anti-gay' law, they are responsible for this increase in vulnerability in the LGBT community," he said.
"We have continued to register increased incidents of violence, harassment and social exclusion of the LGBTI community."
It was a point echoed by Amnesty International.
"It is outrageous that instead of the Ugandan government taking urgent steps to decriminalise gay sex, they want gay people executed. This is going to fire-up more hatred in an already homophobic environment," said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.
"Uganda's MPs must resoundingly reject any plan to legalise this kind of bigotry and witch-hunting of anyone who is perceived as being different."
In the fallout, a spokesperson for President Yoweri Museveni said there are no plans to introduce the legislation that would impose the death penalty for gay sex.
A group of LGBTIQ+ Ugandans. Source: Getty
"We have the penal code that already handles issues of unnatural sexual behaviour so there is no law coming up," Don Wanyama told Reuters.
But according to Human Right Watch, before President Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2014, the government "also put out conflicting messages around its support for the bill".
