LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - First the police targeted the
gay men, then tortured them into naming dozens of others who now are being
hunted down, human rights activists said, warning that such persecution will
rise under a new Nigerian law.
The men's alleged crime? Belonging to a gay
organization. The punishment? Up to 10 years in jail under the Same Sex
Marriage Prohibition Act, which has elicited international condemnation for
criminalizing gay marriage, gay organizations and anyone working with or
promoting them.
In this instance, authorities responded to an
unfounded rumor that the United States had paid gay activists $20 million to
promote same-sex marriage in this highly religious and conservative nation,
according to an AIDS counselor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear
that he would be arrested.
The police have now arrested 38 men and are looking
for 168 others, according to Aken'Ova, whose organization is helping provide
legal services to the men. The AIDS counselor said he has helped secure bail
for some of the 38 detainees. They both said dozens of homosexuals have fled
Bauchi in recent days.
Shawn Gaylord of Human Rights First, a
Washington-based organization, said he was alarmed by the reports of torture
and arrests.
"When discriminatory bills like this are
passed, we are always concerned that they set the stage for violence and
ill-treatment in society even when they are not enforced," Gaylord said in
a statement. "But the fact that this law is being enforced so quickly and
forcefully demonstrates the full extent of Nigeria's human rights crisis."
While harsh, Nigeria's law is not as draconian as a
bill passed last month by legislators in Uganda that is awaiting President
Yoweri Museveni's signature. It provides penalties including life imprisonment
for "aggravated" homosexual sex. Initially, legislators had been
demanding the death sentence for gays.
The Nigerian law provides penalties of up to 14
years in jail for a gay marriage and up to 10 years' imprisonment for
membership or encouragement of gay clubs, societies and organizations. That
could include even groups formed to combat AIDS among gays, activists said. Read more:
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