A court in Uganda has ordered the
immediate deportation of Bernard Randall, a 65-year-old British gay
man.
Randall was arrested on charges of
“trafficking obscene publications,” which stem from the
publication of images of Randall having sex with another man. He
risked being jailed for up to two years.
Randall has said that the photos landed
in the hands of the tabloid newspaper that published them after his
laptop was stolen.
John Francis Onyango, Randall's lawyer,
told the AFP that the decision would not be appealed.
The retired former computer analyst
from Faversham and his Ugandan partner, 30-year-old Albert Cheptoyek,
were dragged from their home at 6:30 in the morning and kept in cells
with 18 other criminals for 3 days before they were charged.
Cheptoyek could be jailed for up to
seven years if convinced of the more serious charge of “gross
indecency.”
“I think they have deported him
because he is gay,” Cheptoyek said.
Randall, who came out after his wife of
40 years died, said he was looking forward to seeing his two
daughters. He dismissed the charges against him as “lies.”
Uganda is notorious for its harsh
anti-gay laws. In 2009, an Ugandan lawmaker introduced a bill that
proposed the death penalty for people who repeatedly engage in gay
sex. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill has attracted worldwide
condemnation and protests. A version of the bill approved last month
replaces capital punishment with life imprisonment and awaits the
signature of President Yoweri Museveni, who
has expressed reservations about the measure.