Ugandan Activists Commemorate Anniversary of David Kato's Death

Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato, who was murdered one year ago, was remembered today by fellow LGBT advocates working against all odds in the notoriously antigay nation.

About 100 activists and family members gathered at a Thursday ceremony in the capital city of Kampala to commemorate the life of Kato, former advocacy officer for the LGBT group Sexual Minorities Uganda.

"We are here to celebrate and thank God for our beloved friend and human rights activist David Kato," former Anglican bishop and LGBT rights advocate Christopher Senyonjo said at the gathering, Agence France-Presse reports.

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke out against the tragedy after Kato was beaten to death with a hammer. “In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate,” Obama said in a January 27, 2011 statement. “He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom.”

A judge recently gave Enoch Nsubuga, 22, a 30-year sentence for the murder. Nsubuga had employed a gay panic defense, claiming that he was defending himself from unwanted sexual advances.

Read the AFP report here.