Ginny Stein reported this story on Friday, January 28, 2011 08:23:00

PETER CAVE: One of Uganda's most high profile gay rights activists has been bludgeoned to death in his home just weeks after winning a court victory over a tabloid that called for homosexuals to be killed.



David Kato was the advocacy officer for a rights group called Sexual Minorities Uganda.



His murder comes at a time of increasing bigotry against homosexuals by church groups and politicians.



Africa correspondent Ginny Stein reports.



GINNY STEIN: David Kato was a leading gay rights campaigner and one of a team of activists who took action against Uganda's Rolling Stone tabloid newspaper.



The paper had been running a campaign both naming and showing photos of people it claimed were homosexual.



Late last year Mr Kato had been pictured on the front page of an issue carrying the headline "Hang Them".



Now he is dead, brutally murdered in his home in Uganda's capital Kampala. Witnesses say they saw a man fleeing his home in a vehicle shortly before his body was found.



Amnesty International's Michelle Kagari is in Kampala.



MICHELLE KAGARI: The human rights community, the diplomatic community, all of us are in absolute shock.



GINNY STEIN: David Kato and other activists who had been part of the action against the newspaper had warned of increasing harassment since the court ruling.



Michelle Kagari says homophobia in Uganda has been increasing mainly due to action being taken by political leaders and a number of church evangelists.



MICHELLE KAGARI: The climate right now and for the last year and a half has been of increasing hostility. We've had members of churches coming out very strongly against homosexuality and we've had the tabloid newspapers calling for them to be hanged.



GINNY STEIN: An anti-homosexual bill currently before parliament calls for gays and lesbians to be jailed for life.



Local media in Uganda is yet to report on David Kato's murder. His funeral will take place tomorrow.



Human rights organisations are calling for a real and substantive investigation into his killing.



This Ginny Stein in Johannesburg for AM.