“Leave Them in a Stadium First,” Burundian President Says About Gay People Being Stoned

President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi has called on people to stone gays, intensifying a campaign of persecution against members of the LGBT community in a nation where such individuals already risk social exclusion and up to two years in prison if found guilty of same-sex offenses.

During a Friday question-and-answer session in the eastern region of Burundi, Ndayishimiye said, “If you want to attract a curse to the country, accept homosexuality.”

“I even believe that it would be better to lead these people to a stadium and stone them if we find them in Burundi.” And it cannot be a sin,” he said, characterizing homosexuality as a Western invention.

His remarks were the most recent example of the region’s growing hostility against LGBT people.

Human rights advocates and Western governments alike have denounced Uganda’s passage of a legislation in May that imposes the death penalty for certain same-sex offenses and long prison terms for others.

A number of measures have been put in place by the US, such as travel bans and Uganda’s exclusion from tariff-free trade agreements. In response, the World Bank also halted any further financing to the nation in East Africa.

Legislators in South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Sudan want their nations to enact anti-gay legislation that is just as severe.

The politicians in these nations consider their actions as supporting African sovereignty and values in the face of perceived Western pressure.