Activists suspected to promote gay sex and 16 Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual and Transgender(LGBT) persons were arrested Thursday in Uganda.
The 16 persons, believed to be aged between 22 to 35, were taken into custody at the office of a sexual health charity where they all worked and lived, fellow activists said.
They all worked for a charity called “Lets Walk Uganda”, whose offices are on the outskirts of the capital Kampala.
It was not clear if the men had been formally charged or when they might appear in court.
A police spokesman said officers had found lubricants, condoms and anti-retroviral drugs at the charity, and had conducted anal examinations on all 16.
“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.
Fred Enanga, Uganda’s national police spokesman, said the state attorney was considering the case before any court appearance.
Gay sex carries a possible life sentence in Uganda, with increasingly violent confrontation over sexual freedom.
And gay sex campaigners are crying foul saying it’s a violation against sexual minorities in the country.
Members of the LGBT+ community say they risk physical attacks in their daily life and routinely encounter harassment, as well as facing prejudice over work, housing and health care.
Campaigners have reported a spate of attacks this year – including four murders – with the latest on Oct. 4 when a gay rights activist was bludgeoned to death.
But police on the other hand say they know of no such attacks.
Earlier this month, a minister proposed introducing the death penalty for gay sex, a threat retracted by the government after international donors condemned the move.
