20 LGBT+ People Have Been Arrested In A Coronavirus Raid In Uganda
20 LGBT+ people have been arrested in Uganda after police raided a shelter and they could face up to 9 years in prison. Police say the shelter violated COVID-19 prevention measures. Human Rights advocates are saying the police used the coronavirus social distancing measures as an excuse to prosecute the sexual and gender minorities.
As ‘LGBTQ Nation’ reports, police said that the people were “congesting in a school-like-dormitory setting within a small house,” which violates the country’s ban on gatherings of over 10 people – since reduced to five – put in place to contain coronavirus.
Deputy Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango said that the idea that the LGBTQ people were arrested because of their identities was false.
“We still have offenses of unnatural sex in our law books,” he said, referring to the ban on “unnatural offenses” that carries a life sentence. “We would charge them with that law, but we are charging them with those counts as you can see.”
But LGBTQ advocates believe it was “a clear case of discrimination” as Sexual Minorities Uganda Executive Director Frank Mugisha said.
“The arrests were initially around homophobia and transphobia because neighbors reported them and so the security forces came and raided them,” he said.
He also mentioned that the raid only increases the spread of coronavirus stating that “These people were at home and they all know each other. Now they are putting them in prison where they will be more at risk.”
Patricia Kimera, a lawyer with Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, the organization defending the group, said that it’s common for police in Uganda to arrest LGBTQ people on charges other than unnatural offenses.
“They are always using alternative charges to arrest people for unnatural offenses so [coronavirus] just worked perfectly for them,” she said. “But definitely the reason they have been arrested is their sexual orientation.”
Those arrested are facing two charges: disobeying a lawful order and committing neglectful acts likely to spread infection of disease.
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