Four individuals have been apprehended by Ugandan authorities on Monday for their alleged involvement in same-sex activities. This development comes three months after the introduction of highly restrictive anti-gay legislation, which triggered international outcry.
Regarded as one of the strictest laws of its kind globally, this legislation encompasses provisions that classify “aggravated homosexuality” as a potentially punishable by death and stipulates penalties of up to life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relationships.
According to a spokesperson for the police, four people, including two women, were taken into custody at a massage parlor in the Buikwe district in the eastern part of the country on Saturday. The arrest followed a tip-off from a female informant to local security, who reported alleged homosexual activities at the massage parlor.
The enactment of this new law in May has drawn strong condemnation from various quarters, including the United Nations, foreign governments such as the United States, and global human rights organizations. The World Bank has even suspended new loans to Uganda this month, asserting that the law contradicts the values the institution upholds.
In response to the legislation, US President Joe Biden called for its immediate repeal, deeming it a grave violation of universal human rights. He even raised the possibility of reducing aid and investment in Uganda. Despite international pressure, the Ugandan government has remained steadfast in its stance, and the law has garnered significant support within the conservative, predominantly Christian nation. Lawmakers in Uganda have defended the measures as a necessary defense against perceived Western moral influence.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has accused the World Bank of attempting to manipulate the government by leveraging financial resources to coerce the abandonment of the contentious legislation.
