Thomson Reuters Foundation: Uganda moves to allay fears over anti-gay sex law
“Uganda has sought to reassure sexual minorities that they are safe, saying it has no plans to introduce the death penalty for gay sex after reports of rising homophobic attacks. LGBT+ rights campaigners in Uganda have expressed concerns about a spate of attacks after a minister said earlier this month that the government planned to reintroduce a bill colloquially known as ‘Kill the Gays.’ In a statement on Thursday, President Yoweri Museveni’s office denied that and said attacks on LGBT+ people should be reported to police for investigation so that perpetrators could be ‘brought to book’…” (Bhalla, 10/26).

Washington Post: Uganda arrested 16 LGBTQ activists. Here’s where else gay rights are a battleground in the world.
“This week Ugandan police arrested 16 LGBTQ activists on charges of gay sex — which is punishable by life imprisonment. Police arrested them at the sexual health organization where they worked and lived and cited condoms, lubricants, and anti-HIV medicines found there as evidence of a crime. Police then subjected them to forced anal exams, which can amount to torture under international law, before releasing them on bail, according to a statement by activists. They are not alone. At least 68 countries — including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore — have laws on the books criminalizing same-sex relations involving consenting adults, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch…” (Berger, 10/26).