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| Stars sign petition over British theatre producer's Uganda arrest | Stars sign petition over British theatre producer's Uganda arrest |
| (4 months later) | |
| A petition expressing outrage over the detention in Uganda of the British theatre producer David Cecil for staging a play about homosexuality has been signed by more than 1,000 leading figures in the entertainment world including Mike Leigh, Stephen Fry, Sandi Tokswig and Simon Callow. | A petition expressing outrage over the detention in Uganda of the British theatre producer David Cecil for staging a play about homosexuality has been signed by more than 1,000 leading figures in the entertainment world including Mike Leigh, Stephen Fry, Sandi Tokswig and Simon Callow. |
| Other signatories include the authors David Edgar, Caryl Churchill and Hanif Kureishi, the actors Michael Sheen, Michael Pennington, Janet Suzman and Harriet Walter, and the former culture secretary James Purnell. | Other signatories include the authors David Edgar, Caryl Churchill and Hanif Kureishi, the actors Michael Sheen, Michael Pennington, Janet Suzman and Harriet Walter, and the former culture secretary James Purnell. |
| The letter, circulated by Index on Censorship and David Lan, artistic director of the Young Vic, will be delivered to the Ugandan high commission in London. | The letter, circulated by Index on Censorship and David Lan, artistic director of the Young Vic, will be delivered to the Ugandan high commission in London. |
| Lan said: "I literally woke up in the middle of the night thinking this is absolutely awful, I've got to do something – and everyone I spoke to agreed." | Lan said: "I literally woke up in the middle of the night thinking this is absolutely awful, I've got to do something – and everyone I spoke to agreed." |
| Mike Harris, head of advocacy at Index on Censorship, said: "The prosecution of David Cecil simply for staging a play is unacceptable, but unfortunately this is just one of a number of troubling cases in Uganda. The recent arrest of writers critical of the president such as Vincent Nzaramba, the attack on independent newspaper Eddoboozi and the use of criminal defamation against critical voices all point to a decline in free speech." | Mike Harris, head of advocacy at Index on Censorship, said: "The prosecution of David Cecil simply for staging a play is unacceptable, but unfortunately this is just one of a number of troubling cases in Uganda. The recent arrest of writers critical of the president such as Vincent Nzaramba, the attack on independent newspaper Eddoboozi and the use of criminal defamation against critical voices all point to a decline in free speech." |
| The petition attracted more than 1,000 international signatures within 24 hours. Fry urged his 7.8 million Twitter followers to sign. | The petition attracted more than 1,000 international signatures within 24 hours. Fry urged his 7.8 million Twitter followers to sign. |
| Cecil was granted bail this week after a weekend in prison, but his passport has been confiscated and he is due back in court. He could face a two-year prison sentence if convicted. | Cecil was granted bail this week after a weekend in prison, but his passport has been confiscated and he is due back in court. He could face a two-year prison sentence if convicted. |
| The play, The River and the Mountain, by the British playwright Beau Hopkins, is a sympathetic portrayal of a young Ugandan businessman who comes out as gay and is then murdered. It was rejected by the National Theatre in Kampala and was ordered to be submitted to government censors. Instead, several performances were organised in Kampala in August, and were reportedly well-received. | The play, The River and the Mountain, by the British playwright Beau Hopkins, is a sympathetic portrayal of a young Ugandan businessman who comes out as gay and is then murdered. It was rejected by the National Theatre in Kampala and was ordered to be submitted to government censors. Instead, several performances were organised in Kampala in August, and were reportedly well-received. |
| It is believed to be the first play on the subject ever performed in Uganda. Cecil was charged with staging the play while it was still under review. | It is believed to be the first play on the subject ever performed in Uganda. Cecil was charged with staging the play while it was still under review. |
| The letter praises his courage in going ahead with the production, and describes Uganda as a country with widespread homophobia, "where leading politicians wish to introduce the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and gay rights activists such as David Kato have been murdered or beaten with impunity. In this climate, free speech is severely restricted." | The letter praises his courage in going ahead with the production, and describes Uganda as a country with widespread homophobia, "where leading politicians wish to introduce the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and gay rights activists such as David Kato have been murdered or beaten with impunity. In this climate, free speech is severely restricted." |
| Before the controversy broke, Lan, who was born in Cape Town, had already commissioned research on the extent of homophobia in Africa for a potential future Young Vic production. | Before the controversy broke, Lan, who was born in Cape Town, had already commissioned research on the extent of homophobia in Africa for a potential future Young Vic production. |
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