In Uganda, two women were detained by police after reports that they had shared a kiss in public. According to the police, residents had reported “unusual acts of a sexual nature.”
The arrest occurred on February 18 in Arua, a city in northwest Uganda, police spokesperson Josephine Angucia said. The two women were observed kissing on multiple occasions. They were later released on bail. No charges have been filed yet, as investigations are ongoing.
Death Penalty for homosexual “repeat offenders”
The case is considered one of the first publicly known incidents of this kind since the tightened anti-LGBT law went into effect. The law was signed in May 2023 by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni despite strong international protests (TheColu.mn reported). Previously, homosexuality had been illegal in the former British colony, but the new statute for the first time threatens the death penalty for homosexual “repeat offenders.”
The new law drew outrage from the United Nations, human rights organizations, and many Western countries. In August 2023, the World Bank said Uganda would no longer receive loans because the law “fundamentally violates the World Bank’s values” (TheColu.mn reported). The United States expanded visa restrictions against Ugandan officials because of the law (TheColu.mn reported). The German government’s response, by contrast, was more cautious (TheColu.mn reported). In April 2024, Uganda’s Constitutional Court dismissed several lawsuits challenging the anti-LGBT statute.
Ugandan LGBTI activist Frank Mugisha stated that the case of the two women kissing underscores the tense climate facing queer people in the country. Suppression has intensified since the law’s enactment and has increasingly led to extortion and intimidation.
