Dozens of queer Ugandans finally freed on bail after police ‘witch hunt’

Thirty-nine detained LGBT+ people have been granted bail after a police raid targeted a queer shelter in Uganda, activists said Friday (4 June).

The Nansana Court of First Instance in Kampala has granted bail to 39 of the 44 detained queer Ugandans, said Frank Mugisha, the director of Sexual Minorities Organization Uganda.

Three had received bail on Wednesday (2 June) and two had already been released, he added on Twitter.

It was news that, for activists, brought with it both relief and indignation.

Relief that those that activists saw as wrongfully detained on dubious charges had finally been released on bail. But indignation for the stories that followed – at least 17 detainees alleged that the authorities performed invasive anal examinations on them.

This was despite how, Mugisha told Sunday Vision, the police had “assured us that they would not perform this type of examination”.

Such examinations are considered a “violation of human rights” because they “violate the right to physical integrity and freedom from torture or ill-treatment”, the Human Rights Watch, a top rights group, say.

A trial will take place 8 July.