Uganda: Police raid on LGBT rights workshops, 'senseless'

Following an armed police raid on a human rights workshop attended by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Kampala on Monday (18 June), Amnesty International has reiterated its call on the Ugandan government to end its outrageous harassment of people involved in lawful activities.

At least five staff of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) who organised the workshop were detained by the police along with at least 12 of the workshop participants.

Some of the participants, who were from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were able to escape after being informed by members of the media that the police were on their way.

Amnesty International’s deputy director for Africa, Michelle Kagari, said:

“This ludicrous and senseless harassment of human rights activists has no basis in law whatsoever and has to stop.

“We are seeing a worrying pattern emerging whereby the Ugandan authorities engage in arbitrary activities deliberately designed to intimidate and threaten legitimate human rights work.

“The participants in this workshop had done absolutely nothing wrong and we call on the police to end this outrageous behaviour which makes a mockery of Uganda’s human rights obligations.”