April 9, 2015, New York, NY – The Center for Constitutional Rights asked a court to issue a subpoena to Martin Ssempa, a prominent anti-gay crusader in Uganda, to testify in a case brought on behalf of the Ugandan LGBTI rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda against U.S.-based anti-gay extremist Scott Lively. The Center issued the following statement on today’s motion:
The Center for Constitutional Rights has learned that Martin Ssempa, a leading and notorious figure in the persecution of the LGBTI community in Uganda, is in fact a U.S. citizen. Ssempa is not himself a target of the lawsuit, but as a close ally of Scott Lively he has intimate knowledge of key facts in the case. As a witness who is a U.S. citizen, he is subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. court presiding over the case brought on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda against Lively for the role he has played in the persecution of LGBTI people and organizations in Uganda.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.