Ugandan authorities have dropped a case against two women in their twenties who were arrested after allegedly kissing in public.
Uganda has some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, with certain consensual same-sex acts punishable by life imprisonment and the offence of “aggravated homosexuality” carrying the death penalty under legislation enacted in 2023.
Human rights lawyer Frank Mugisha told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he welcomed the decision to drop the case but said it should never have been brought, stressing that “kissing is not a crime”.
The women, identified by local newspapers as Wendy Faith, 22, and Alesi Diana, 21, were detained after police raided their residence on 18 February following complaints from neighbours.
Amnesty East Africa was among the groups calling for the charges to be dropped. The organisation has also called on the Ugandan government to repeal laws criminalising consensual same-sex relations and to ensure equal rights under the law regardless of sexual orientation.
Alex Müller, Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, has also highlighted the case, arguing that Uganda’s anti-LGBTQIA+ laws contravene the country’s obligations under international human rights law.
