Brenda Namigadde, a Uganda lesbian who is fighting deportation to Uganda, has been released tonight, United Kingdom-based LGBT Asylum News just tweeted late this afternoon. The judge however, Lord Justice Maurice Kay, has prohibited the government, press and any one else in the United Kingdom from speaking or writing her name.
Readers, if you are in disbelief about the veracity of the directive, just visit the LGBT Asylum News website, which has changed its home page from “Brenda Namigadde Updates” to “BN Updates.”
Namigadde was scheduled to attend a Royal Court of Appeal injunction hearing on Monday before Judge Kay. No mainstream media in Britain have reported on her case since the hearing was conducted.
Read: “Ugandan Lesbian Facing Certain Deportation Death Wins Temporary Reprieve“
When The New Civil Rights Movement spoke to the UK Border Agency press about Brenda Namigadde’s status  just two hours ago, the press officer said that the court has directed that the subject’s name can not be referenced. The official statement provided to us from a UK Border Agency spokesperson said:
“We are disappointed by the court’s decision. The government has made it clear that it is committed to stopping the removal of asylum seekers who have genuinely had to leave particular countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identification. However, when someone is found not to have a genuine claim we expect them to leave voluntarily.”
LGBT Asylum News is reporting, “BN’s Judicial Review deadline in on Friday. This is not a hearing but the deadline for receipt of new evidence which would, in the case of BN, show the specific threat if she was to be removed.”
“If this review is accepted then a fresh claim for asylum can proceed.”
Without further corroboration, it is unclear if Namigadde has lost her case for asylum for the moment at least and she may be pending deportation once again. More to come on the asylum case of Ugandan Brenda Namigadde. Stay tuned.
Tanya L. Domi is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, who teaches about human rights in Eurasia and is a Harriman Institute affiliated faculty member. Prior to teaching at Columbia, Domi worked internationally for more than a decade on issues related to democratic transitional development, including political and media development, human rights, gender issues, sex trafficking, and media freedom.