Uganda's Foreign Minister to get top UN post
Wednesday, 4 June 2014, 3:18 pm
Press Release: The Peter Tatchell Foundation
London - 2 June 2014
Uganda's Foreign Minister to get top UN post
Accused of supporting anti-gay law, corruption & political repression.
Bid to stop him becoming President of UN General Assembly
Uganda's Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa is set to become President of the
UN General Assembly on 17 June.
"A close ally of the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, Sam Kutesa is
accused of support for the new anti-gay law, financial corruption,
political repression and military intervention in the Congo," said
Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter
Tatchell Foundation.
"As a senior government minister, he has colluded with enactment of
the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which dictates automatic life imprisonment
for any form of same-sex contact with sexual intent - even mere
kissing and cuddling.
"His government is harbouring the leader of the M23 rebel group,
Sultani Makenga, who is on a UN sanctions list. The Ugandan government
is refusing to hand over Makenga to the Congolese authorities or to
the International Criminal Court.
"It is outrageous that Kutesa has been nominated by the African Union.
He is not a fit and proper person to hold this prestigious UN post.
"David Cameron, William Hague and governments worldwide should be
lobbying the UN to block Kutesa's appointment on the grounds that his
political record is inconsistent with UN principles.
"Surprisingly, it appears that the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Navi Pillay, has not, so far, objected to his appointment or
attempted to challenge it.
"I have written to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, urging that
a decision on Kutesa's appointment be delayed until his suitability
for the presidency is assessed by the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
Read the letter to Ban Ki-Moon here: http://bit.ly/1otb3jo
"Looking to the future, the UN needs to put in place a proper scrutiny
procedure for all candidates for senior posts, to prevent corrupt
officials and human rights abusers being appointed," said Mr Tatchell.
http://www.google.ca/gwt/x?gl=CA&hl=en-CA&u=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1406/S00009/ugandas-foreign-minister-to-get-top-un-post.htm&source=s&q=Uganda's+Foreign+Minister+to+get+top+UN+post&sa=X&ei=QJqPU-qzMoPIsASj4ICoBA&ved=0CCgQFjAA
Ban Ki-moon urged: Oppose Ugandan for UN President
posted by Peter Tatchell ... on Fri, 23/05/2014 - 11:10
Sam Kutesa accused of corruption & human rights abuses
Secretary General of the United Nations
New York
23 May 2014
Dear Ban Ki-Moon,
Uganda Foreign Minister - Appointment as President of the UN General Assembly.
I am writing to urge you to take appropriate action to review and, if
possible, block the appointment of Sam Kutesa, the Ugandan Foreign
Minister, as President of the UN General Assembly - on the grounds
that he is not a fit and proper person to hold this prestigious post.
It is outrageous that he has been endorsed by the African Union.
As a senior member of the Ugandan government and close ally of the
President, Yoweri Museveni, Sam Kutesa is allegedly implicated in
corruption scandals, political repression, support for the new
anti-gay law, military intervention in the Congo and harbouring the
leader of the M23 rebel group, Sultani Makenga, who is on a UN
sanctions list. The Ugandan government is refusing to hand over
Makenga to the Congolese authorities or to the International Criminal
Court.
Below is a briefing about Kutesa by Ugandan exile, Milton Allimadi. I
am also copying this article into my cover email, so you can directly
access the embedded source links re the allegations against Kutesa.
I urge you to liaise with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to
challenge and prevent Kutesa's appointment on the grounds that his
political record is inconsistent with UN principles on human rights,
peace and good governance.
Looking to the future, the UN needs to put in place a proper scrutiny
procedure for all candidates for senior posts, to prevent corrupt and
human rights-abusing candidates being appointed.
I request that you authorise the drawing up of a new scrutiny system
for senior UN appointments
Yours sincerely,
Peter Tatchell
Director
PeterTatchell Foundation
Electing Kutesa, Museveni's Top Spokesperson, as UN General Assembly
President Would Reward Corruption, Tyranny And Homophobia
By Milton Allimadi, Black Star News. READ: http://bit.ly/1lFE2eK
Who says corruption, tyranny, presidential bigotry and homophobic
hate-mongering don't pay?
Unless the Global community wakes up immediately the Ugandan dictator
Gen. Yoweri Museveni who recently signed a new law condemning gays to
life in prison will be rewarded when the United Nations members elect
his top spokesperson, foreign minister Sam Kutesa, President of the UN
General Assembly.
The prestigious post based here in New York means Kutesa will preside
over major meetings including the General Assembly, which is addressed
by world leaders, including President Barack Obama.
This is an outrage considering how Kutesa's boss Gen. Museveni thumbed
his nose at world leaders including Obama when he signed the anti-gay
hate law in Uganda on February 24 and the continuing corruption
scandals and political repression in the country.
In addition to the anti-gay law Uganda earlier passed a law which bans
meetings of more than three people without obtaining police approval
which is designed to stifle dissent and legitimate political
opposition activity. The Stalinist sounding law in Gen. Museveni's
increasingly police state is referred to as the Public Order
Management law.
As foreign affairs minister Kutesa is Gen. Museveni's top spokesperson
to the world including on the bigoted anti-gay law and the Public
Order Management. When he signed the anti-gay law Kutesa's boss told
CNN gays were "disgusting" and said "what sort of people are they" and
"what they do are terrible."
Dictator Museveni's popularity in Uganda is at an all-time low and he
hopes the UN Presidency for his henchman would burnish his image.
This follows massive corruption scandals by the First Family, his
prime minister and cabinet ministers, including Sam Kutesa. The U.K.
already has cut off foreign aid after the embezzlement of hundreds of
millions of dollars.
Ugandans are also wary of Gen. Museveni's disastrous invasions of the
Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, both of which have been
defended by Kutesa. After President Obama condemned the invasions of
Congo and the support of the brutal militia, M23, which was backed by
Gen. Museveni and Rwanda's Gen. Paul Kagame, a United Nations
intervention force defeated the insurgents. The leaders of M23
including Sultan Makenga, who is on a U.S. and UN sanctions list, fled
to Uganda and Gen. Museveni has refused to hand them over to the
International Criminal Court or to Congolese authorities.
Millions of Congolese have perished as a result of the invasions and
related wars.
A nation's sovereignty is the most cardinal principle upon which the
foundation of the United Nations is based. So how ironic is it that
while defending Uganda's repeated violations of this sacrosanct ideal
Kutesa now wants to preside over the United Nations?
Why did Museveni and his colleagues, including Kutesa, introduce the
anti-gay law even though an anti-homosexual law already exists in
Uganda dating back to the British colonial period?
Gen. Museveni faces presidential elections in 2016 against opposition
parties that for the first time seem more united than ever. The new
united front is demanding for electoral reforms, including an
independent election commission; the current hand-picked one by Gen.
Museveni merely rubber-stamps his election rigging.
Worried about his prospects, Gen. Museveni needs issues that will stir
up popular passions and win him votes in the rural areas where people
are relatively conservative, less educated, and more easy to
manipulate.
So Gen. Museveni decided to demonize gays in Uganda and to frighten
people by having his acolytes claim they were coming to molest their
children. He then signed the law even though he had assured former
president Bill Clinton and South Africa's retired Archbishop Desmond
Tutu that he wouldn't.
Since the signing of the hate-law, there have already been reported
attacks against gays in Uganda and many have fled to neighboring
countries, including Kenya. Even if his boss hadn't signed the gay
hate-law Kutesa, the co-architect, should be disqualified.
Kutesa is reputed to be one of the most corrupt and wealthiest Ugandan
politicians. He has so far survived trial and conviction due to his
close ties with Gen. Museveni; his daughter is also married to Gen.
Museveni's son, Brigadier Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who commands the feared
Presidential Guard Brigade and is reputed to be a potential heir to
the presidency of Uganda.
As far back as 1999 Kutesa was censured by Uganda's Parliament by a
152 - 94 vote for alleged "" over some fishy financial transactions
tied to his dealing with the country's national airline, Uganda
Airways, which eventually was liquidated.
More recently he was allegedly involved in the embezzlement of funds
allocated by the government to host the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting in Uganda in 2007; reportedly in all $150 million
disappeared.
Just three years ago, in 2011, Kutesa was then accused together with
prime minister Amama Mbabazi and Energy Minister Hilary Onek in
Parliament of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from a foreign
oil company.
Earlier, then U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Jerry Lanier found the
allegations convincing enough to propose that the visa of Mbabazi,
Kutesa's colleague, be revoked, The Wall Street Journal reported and
his 2009 cables published by WikiLeaks show.
But like his boss Gen. Museveni, foreign minister Kutesa is one of the
country's untouchables and he has never been tried. The one time a
proceeding was initiated a judge threw it out on a "technicality."
How then can the world reward this kind of corruption with a top post?
And as Gen. Museveni's top spokesperson and co-architect of the gay
hate-law what message would this send to other countries where sexual
minorities are similarly being singled for state-sponsored attacks?
Traditionally the post of UN General Assembly presidency, which is
held for one year, rotates among the world's five major regions. The
current General Assembly President is John William Ashe of Antigua and
Barbuda. An African candidate is now due and the election is in June;
in a matter of weeks.
Cameroon's foreign minister was supposed to be nominated by African
countries but he inexplicably withdrew his candidacy and it fell on
Uganda.
It's one thing for Gen. Museveni and Kutesa to act with total impunity
in Uganda where they are above the law since they control the army.
However the international community is not obligated to reward
destructive regional military aggression, dictatorship, corruption,
and homophobic bigotry, with the prestigious presidency of the General
Assembly.
What immediate action can the U.S. take?
Washington recently refused to grant a Visa to Iran's new designated
U.N. representative, Hamid Aboutalebi, when it was revealed that he
had participated in the hostage taking at the U.S. embassy in Tehran
in 1979.
The U.S. must similarly deny a Visa to Kutesa and any representative
nominated by Gen. Museveni's regime since they are spokespersons for
tyranny, misgovernance and the anti-gay hate law.
It would be an honor for an African to preside over the General
Assembly. And Africa can still certainly come up with a candidate most
worthy of the position. However Kutesa's ascension would not only soil
the position but would bring shame and disrepute to the United
Nations. All those interested in halting this travesty must take
action.
Source:
http://www.blackstarnews.com/global-politics/africa/electing-kutesa-gen-musevenis-top-spokesperson-un-general-assembly-president
--
SIBOMANA Jean Bosco
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