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 The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) welcomes prominent Ugandan activist Victor Juliet Mukasa as our new Research and Policy Associate for the Horn, East, and Central Africa.
Victor is a co-founder and the president emeritus of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). Victor is also a founding member of several Ugandan rights groups, including East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (EHAHRDN) (2005), Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) (2002), and the Pan African Group African Solidarity (2006). Victor has also served as a board member of many African and international  LGBT groups, including Gender Dynamix (South Africa), Behind the Mask (South Africa), Coalition of African Lesbians (Pan African), and the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA).
"Victor is one of the most respected human rights activists in Africa," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Senior Specialist for Africa, "and will greatly increase our capacity to respond to human rights violations in the Horn, East and Central Africa. Her experience, commitment, and courage are unique."
A transgender lesbian, Victor was forced to flee Uganda after police illegally raided her home in 2005 and confiscated documents related to human rights and LGBT organizing. Victor recently returned to Uganda and, along with a Kenyan activist, sued the government for the raid. The judicial decision in that case is currently pending.
Victor will be based in IGLHRC's Africa regional office, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading human rights organization solely devoted to improving the rights of people around the world who are targeted for imprisonment, abuse or death because of their sexuality, Gender identity or HIV/AIDS status. IGLHRC addresses human rights violations by partnering with and supporting activists in countries around the world, monitoring and documenting human rights abuses, engaging offending governments, and educating international human rights officials. A non-profit, non-governmental organization, IGLHRC is based in New York, with offices in Johannesburg and Buenos Aires. Visit http://www.iglhrc.org for more information
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