PRESS RELEASE DATED: 4/30/2020 ​ALIGHT and Event Contact: Steph Koehne:stephaniek@wearealight.org AHRC Contact: Melanie Nathan: nathan@africanHRC.org Fun-Filled Event at the Heart of Alight, AHRC and Refugee LGBTI Community Alliance in COVID-19 Response African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) is pleased to partner with our friends at ALIGHT for the ongoing OUR KITCHEN TABLE initiative. Together with the LGBTI community in Kenya, we are collaborating through this programming in our joint quest to mitigate the hardships that the COVID-19 Pandemic is bringing to LGBTI refugees in Kenya, to support safe shelter, food and hygiene needs during this extremely challenging time: In living memory t

Yesterday we reported and on the group of some 50-60 LGBTI refugees who had left their community shelters at Kakuma Camp in Kenya for the UNHCR Compound at the Camp, staging a protest and asserting security concerns, with demands to leave the camp, which is not possible under encampment laws and COVID-19 new rules. The refugees, despite extensive negotiations with the Chief of Police himself offering heightened security, and UNHCR, as well as warnings about COVID-19 shelter and curfew rules and the health and safety impact on the community at large, and warnings by the Police of ensuing detentions or arrests should they fail to heed to leave, the refugees refused. Almost 24 hours later the p

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, expressed today its concern about a sit-in in front of its office in Kakuma, Kenya, organized by some 60 people all purporting to be LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers who are citing security concerns and asking to be resettled to a third country. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resettlement departures have been temporarily suspended worldwide. The refugees camping out are fully aware that Kenya has an encampment policy and that they have nowhere else to go under the current Kenyan law, even without the hugely onerous added aspect of CoronaVirus pandemic. Their attempt at this sit in is being discouraged by UNHCR because of the extremely volatile nature and health

African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) understands the limitations and dangers presented by CoronaVirus with regard to refugees. AHRC, in alliance with partners and in conversation with UNHCR, has assisted to provide shelter, food and hygiene products to LGBTQI refugees in Nairobi and Kakuma, Kenya, in preparation for COVID lockdowns. Much more will be needed in the coming months for LGBTQI refugees as well as all refugees, and in adhering to the call by UNHCR for partners and global community to step up, we ask for your continued contributions to African HRC, which can be made HERE. As the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic continues, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, notes the increas

Today, Friday 24th April 2020, Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) filed a case before the Civil Division of the High Court of Uganda challenging the denial of the 19 LGBTI persons currently on remand at Kitalya Mini Maxi Prison access to their lawyers by refusing to grant permission to the lawyers to access clients in prison, citing ‘the current COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.’ The case is Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) vs. Attorney General and The Commissioner General of Prisons, High Court Miscellaneous Cause No. 81 of 2020. The 19 were charged with committing ‘a negligent act likely to spread infection of disease’ contrary to section 171 of the Penal Code A

Melanie Nathan: "African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC- African HRC) has submitted the following comment and objection to the CDC Rule change that is harming all asylum seekers, especially the most marginalized who make their way to the Southern Borders of the United States. The Letter I wrote, and formally submitted to the comments section of the Government Docket, speaks for itself. The Government has no reason for rejecting asylum seekers who can all be quarantined within the realm of our asylum pipeline. The government using COVID-19 to exclude its obligation to asylum seekers is cruel and a reflection of weakness by our administration, either an admission of ineptness in our fights again

African Human Rights Coalition is a proud signatory to a letter, in coalition with CGRS, tASISTA, the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Tahirih Justice Center, and over 180 other organizations which was sent today to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, calling on DHS to immediately rescind its policy of expelling asylum seekers at the border. The letter notes that this policy places survivors of domestic and sexual violence at particularly high risk of harm. To date, this policy has resulted in the expulsions of upwards of 7,000 asylum seekers, with no legal process whatsoever. The groups’ letter points out that this practice places survivors of domestic and sexual

African Human Rights Coalition is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing today of Ugandan national, and refugee Aneste Mweru, age 27. We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to all of those who knew and loved Aneste. May he rest in peace and his memory be a blessing. UNHCR has advised that the Kenyan police have initiated an investigation into the events leading to this tragic incident. UNHCR has assured that they will closely follow this ongoing police investigation and will provide further information as it becomes available. Mr Mweru sought asylum in Kenya in January 2017, and his refugee status was recognised by Kenyan authorities in March 2019. In this moment of terrible s

FACT SHEET RE KAKUMA CAMP: COVID-19 FOOD RESPONSE Emergency Response Preparation by ALLOut – RefCEA – AHRC- April 09, 2020 A. INTRO When the United States went into various forms of lockdown because of CORONAVIRUS - COVID-19, AHRC and other organizations realized that the CORONAVIRUS would be spreading to Africa, and that early preparation was the key. We hoped that even if the CORONAVIRUS never ever hit Africa the way it did in the rest of the world, that we would prepare regardless so as to ensure we covered as best we could, under enormously difficult circumstances, the impending likely needs for KAKUMA and NAIROBI LGBTQI refugees, and so our preparation with partners started in Febru

NOTE: Please make use of the COMMUNIQUE below if you are LGBTQI and/or have any human rights issues in Uganda during COVID-19. Anyone reporting to these entities are welcome to copy CASEahrc@gmail.com and to report your situation and the result of your outreach to African Human Rights Coalition, which is deferring to organizations on the ground in Uganda at this time. A joint communique shared on behalf of: Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI), Defend Defenders (DD), Gala Initiatives Uganda (GIU), Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF), the National LGBTI Security Committee, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), The Taala Foundation and Tranz Network Uganda (TNU). The Communique is m