Reuters reports:
A group of 16 LGBT activists have been arrested and subject to forced anal examinations by police in Uganda, according to a rights group on Thursday. Police confirmed the arrests, saying the men were detained after a “complaint from the public.”
Gay acts and anal sex are illegal in Uganda and can be punishable with life imprisonment. “Based on the medical examination report, it was established that the suspects were involved in sexual acts punishable under the penal code,” police spokesman Patrick Onyango told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Newsweek reports:
According to Human Rights Watch, seven countries in Africa and the Middle East still use forced anal exams. These countries include Cameroon, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Zambia and Uganda.
The International Forensic Expert Group, an organization that runs more than 160 torture rehabilitation centers in over 70 countries, describes the forced anal examinations as “a form of sexual assault and rape.”
NBC News reports:
On Thursday afternoon, Let’s Walk Uganda, shared a message on Facebook saying all 16 men had been released. The men, however, were charged with “trafficking in persons” and “carnal knowledge against the order of nature” before being released on bond, according to Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum.
Activists say attacks against LGBTQ people are increasing amid efforts by Uganda’s ethics minister to introduce a bill that would punish gay sex with death. The government spokesman denies such a plan exists.
Around 85% of Ugandans are Christian. The government official likely behind these arrests is a former Catholic priest.
Uganda arrests 16 LGBT activists on suspicion of gay sex & subjects them to nonsensical forced anal exams. https://t.co/LHcrHsmRGF pic.twitter.com/xWfxqSgrYZ
— BRIAN PELLOT (@brianpellot) October 25, 2019
16 LGBT+ activists in Uganda were arrested and forced to undergo anal examinations.
Police have accused the men, who work at a sexual health charity, of same-sex relations, which is illegal under a colonial-era law and punishable with life in prison. pic.twitter.com/nFHoxtagcy
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 24, 2019
Stories of anti-#LGBTIQ violence here in #Uganda are coming in thick and fast now. I’ve been told the 16 arrested have been released on bond, but are, of course, psychologically traumatised from the forced anal examinations & the attempted mob attack https://t.co/nCCu9MU7Vb
— Alice McCool (@McCoolingtons) October 25, 2019
A group of 16 LGBT+ activists were arrested and subjected to forced anal examinations by police in Uganda, according to a rights group.
Gay sex is punishable by life in prison in Uganda and there are plans to introduce the death penalty.https://t.co/a2vXXUq5sV
— DW News (@dwnews) October 25, 2019