A Ugandan lesbian, Ms Aidah Asaba claims that she fears immediate imprisonment because of her sexuality when she is deported from the UK on Saturday.

Aidah is being detained at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre. She forged her way to UK in October claiming that she was running for her life. In order to persuade the UK government that her life was in danger, Aidah reportedly bribed a Ugandan newspaper, the Daily Monitor and a news tabloid, called the Daily Red Pepper to publish her name that she was a lesbian.

The Republic of Uganda in March 2014 passed an Anti-Homosexuality Act which allowed the government in Kampala to arrest and imprison those who have same-sex relationships.

Asaba, who has been at Yarl’s Wood for the past three months, applied for asylum in October 2013, but her request was rejected because the UK government discovered that her claims lacked credibility.

The members of a detainee support group run from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) began liaising with Ugandan activists to gather statements attesting to Asaba’s sexuality and the potential threat she faces by returning to Uganda. The truth was discovered that no one can harm her when she returns as Ugandans are not concerned about lesbians.

However the UK Home Office has sent Asaba a ticket to return to Uganda. Many Ugandans lie to Europeans that they are being persecuted in Kampala over their gay practices yet they are not.

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