Ugandan Seeking Asylum In United Kingdom Because Of Sexuality Granted Temporary Deportation Reprieve

The BBC reports that Brenda Namigadde, a Ugandan lesbian, has been awarded a temporary injunction by a High Court judge in London, preventing her deportation. Another court in Britain had ruled she was “not homosexual,” and therefore, the Home Office argued she did have a genuine claim for asylum. Attorneys for Ms. Namigadde filed papers at the High Court asking a judge to grant the injunction to prevent her deportation, due to take place Friday evening. Her attorney, Abdulrahman Jafar, said that he is now prepared to argue that Namigadde should be permitted to remain in the United Kingdom regardless of her sexuality, since “The press coverage about her activities certainly expose her to a real risk if she is to be returned to Uganda.” Namigadde, who has been held at a detention centre just outside of London, fled Uganda in 2002 after she says she was beaten and victimized because of her sexuality. She said she was “shaking with fear at the prospect of returning to Uganda.” A United Kingdom Border Agency spokesperson said “Ms Namigadde's case has been carefully considered by both the UK Border Agency and the courts on three separate occasions and she has been found not to have a right to remain here. An immigration judge found on the evidence before them that Ms Namigadde was not homosexual." The spokesperson added that the Government is committed to stopping the removal of asylum seekers who have left their country of origin because of the sexual orientation, but said that “when someone is found not to have a genuine claim we expect them to leave voluntarily.”