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Stabbed Ugandan gay rights activist blames political rhetoric for attack

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Stabbed Ugandan gay rights activist blames political rhetoric for attack

A well-known gay rights activist in Uganda who was stabbed by unknown assailants this week attributed the attack to what he described Thursday as a growing intolerance of the LGBTQ+ community fueled by politicians.

The climate of intolerance is being exacerbated by “politicians who are using the LGBTQ+ community as a scapegoat to move people away from what is really happening in the country,” Steven Kabuye said in an interview from a hospital bed on the outskirts of Kampala.

Two attackers on a motorcycle tried to stab Kabuye in the neck on Wednesday, and when he tried to shield himself the attackers stabbed him in the right arm and stomach, police said. A video posted on the social media platform X shows Kabuye on the ground writhing in pain with a deep wound to his right arm and a knife stuck in his belly.

PROMINENT UGANDAN GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST CRITICAL AFTER STABBING

Kabuye said Thursday that he believes the attackers were trying not just to wound him, but to kill him, and that he fears his enemies might even target him in the hospital. “I don’t know who to trust right know,” he said.

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Steven Kabuye is hospitalized in Kitende, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Kabuye is the executive director of the advocacy group Colored Voice Truth to LGBTQ. He had gone into exile in Kenya last March after receiving death threats following an attack on one of the members of the group, organization advocacy officer Hans Senfuma said. Kabuye had returned to Uganda on Dec. 15.

In May, Uganda’s president signed into law anti-gay legislation supported by many in Uganda but widely condemned by rights activists and others abroad.

The version of the legislation signed by President Yoweri Museveni doesn’t criminalize those who identify as LGBTQ+ — which had been a key concern for some rights campaigners. But the new law still prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as sexual relations involving people infected with HIV, minors and other categories of vulnerable people.

Kabuye had posted on X that he was deeply concerned about the consequences of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.

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“This law violates basic human rights and sets a dangerous precedent for discrimination and persecution against the LGBTQ+ community. Let us stand together in solidarity and fight against bigotry and hate,” he said.

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Russia warns Western forces in Ukraine would be considered ‘legitimate combat targets’

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Russia warns Western forces in Ukraine would be considered ‘legitimate combat targets’

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Russia on Thursday warned that any Western military forces deployed to Ukraine under a post-war security arrangement would be considered “legitimate combat targets,” sharply criticizing a newly signed Paris declaration outlining security guarantees for Kyiv.

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In a statement posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Telegram channel, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the declaration, backed by Ukraine, the United States and several European countries, was not aimed at peace but at further militarizing Ukraine and escalating the conflict.

She specifically objected to provisions calling for a multinational force and continued military support for Ukraine’s armed forces, warning that any foreign troops, military infrastructure or facilities on Ukrainian territory would be viewed by Moscow as direct foreign intervention.

UKRAINE, US NEAR 20-POINT PEACE DEAL AS PUTIN SPURNS ZELENSKYY CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE OFFER

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova attends the annual press conference held by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Jan. 14, 2025, in Moscow. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

“All such units and facilities will be considered as legitimate combat targets of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” Zakharova said.

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“These warnings have been voiced more than once at the highest level and remain relevant.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday the U.K. and France signed a declaration of intent to deploy forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, including establishing military hubs and facilities to store weapons and equipment after a ceasefire.

A soldier fires a third-generation Javelin man-portable anti-tank missile system during a professional training session on Jan. 7, 2026, in Ukraine. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil – securing Ukraine’s skies and seas – and regenerating Ukraine’s armed forces for the future,” Starmer told reporters at a press conference after the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Paris.

RUSSIA ALLEGES ATTACK ON PUTIN RESIDENCE AS UKRAINE DENIES CLAIM AHEAD OF TRUMP TALKS

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“We also have agreed [on] significant further steps. First, that we will participate in U.S.-led monitoring and verification of any ceasefire. Second, we will support the long-term provision of armaments for Ukraine’s defence. And third, we will work towards binding commitments to support Ukraine in the case of a future armed attack by Russia,” he added.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. businessman Jared Kushner speak at a press conference after signing a declaration at the Coalition of the Willing summit on Jan. 6, 2026, in Paris. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters)

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on X that negotiators made significant progress on a bilateral security guarantee framework and a prosperity plan for Ukraine, calling durable security guarantees essential to a lasting peace.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said the document on security guarantees for Ukraine is essentially “ready for finalization at the highest level with the President of the United States.”

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“Complex issues from the basic framework for ending the war were also addressed, and the Ukrainian side presented possible options for finalizing this document,” he added. “We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war.”

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Belgium open to housing foreign prisoners in other countries, minister says

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Belgium’s Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt is looking at “every possible solution” to increase the number of irregular migrants returned from Belgium, including renting or building prison space abroad to house foreign prisoners.

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for people to remain calm and schools canceling classes and activities as a safety precaution.

State and local officials demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere.

The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.

Macklin Good’s killing Wednesday morning in a residential neighborhood south of downtown was recorded on video by witnesses, and by the evening hundreds of people came out for a vigil to mourn her and urge the public to resist immigration enforcement. Some then chanted as they marched through the city, but there was no violence.

“I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to come to see it happens,” said Sander Kolodziej, a painter who came to the vigil to support the community.

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The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

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It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

In another recording made afterward, a woman who identifies Macklin Good as her spouse is seen crying near the vehicle. The woman, who is not identified, says the couple recently arrived in Minnesota and they had a child.

Noem called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers, saying the driver “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE’s work.

Noem alleged that the woman was part of a “mob of agitators” and said the officer followed his training. She said the FBI would investigate.

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But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem’s version of events “garbage.”

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit.”

He also criticized the federal deployment and said the agents should leave.

The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. Wednesday’s is at least the fifth death linked to the crackdowns.

The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced the operation’s launch Tuesday, at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

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A crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting to vent their anger at local and federal officers.

In a scene that hearkened back to crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago, people chanted “ICE out of Minnesota” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He expressed outrage over the shooting but called on people to keep protests peaceful.

“They want a show,” Walz said. “We can’t give it to them.”

There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot Macklin Good.

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Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

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Dell’Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Mark Vancleave in Las Vegas, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

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