A gay pride event was broke up on Friday by Ugandan police in the country’s capital Kampala and about 20 people arrested, a gay rights leader said on Friday.
This was the latest incident highlighting the risks homosexuals face in Africa.
A fashion show was underway at a nightclub in Kampala when police showed up and asked who the organisers were, said Frank Mugisha, who was immediately handcuffed when he identified himself to a police commander as a leader among those attending the event.
The 20 that were arrested were put on a police truck and driven to a police for question.
Mugisha said they were released more than two hours later without being charged, although some who had been detained said they had been slapped or pushed around by officers. One man trying to escape arrest at the nightclub had injured himself while jumping to safety, he said.
“We condemn the police’s actions, the use of excessive force during arrest,” he said.
A spokesperson of the Ugandan police, Patrick Onyango confirmed the arrests but gave no details.
In Uganda, homosexuality is illegal in Uganda under and the law prohibits sex acts “against the order of nature”.
