Uganda officials arrested 16 LGBTQ activists this week under suspicion for engaging in gay sex, which is punishable by life in prison under current laws.
The Guardian reports: “The 16 men, believed to be aged between 22 and 35, were taken into custody late on Monday at the office of a sexual health charity where they all worked and lived, fellow activists said. It was not clear if the men had been formally charged nor when they might appear in court. A police spokesman said on Thursday officers had found lubricants, condoms and antiretroviral drugs at the charity, and had conducted medical examinations on all 16.”
Thomson Reuters reports: ‘Fred Enanga, Uganda’s national police spokesman, said the men were charged under sections of the penal code that outlaw gay sex, and that all had been released on police bond. “They will keep reporting to the police on selected dates pending further guidance from the state attorney’s office,” Enanga said.’
In recent weeks there have been reports that lawmakers were looking to revive a controversial bill that would mandate the death penalty for gay sex. A Ugandan government spokesman has denied that the country has any interest in reviving it.
Following the 16 arrests, civil society groups in Uganda called on the government to drop the charges and publicly condemn attacks against LGBTQ Ugandans.
