Ugandan gay rights activist killed

An outspoken Ugandan gay activist whose picture recently appeared in an anti-gay newspaper under the headline “Hang Them” was beaten to death in his home,Ugandan police said on Thursday.

David Kato was one of the most visible defenders of gay rights in a country so homophobic that government leaders have proposed to execute gay people. Kato and others in Uganda had recently warned that their lives were endangered,and four months ago a local paper,Rolling Stone,published a list of gay people,and Kato’s face was on the front page.

He was attacked in his home Wednesday afternoon and beaten on the head with a hammer,said Judith Nabakooba,a police spokeswoman. But police officials said they don’t believe this was a hate crime.

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“It looks like theft,as some things were stolen,” Nabakooba said.

Gay activists disagreed,saying Kato was singled out for his defense of gay rights. “The Ugandan government must take responsibility for David’s blood!” said Val Kalende,chairperson of a gay rights group.JEFFREY GETTLEMAN