Ugandan police arrested 16 men in Kampala on October 21, 2019 after a crowd shouted homophobic slurs and threatened to attack them. The police accused the men of homosexual conduct.
Justine Balya, a lawyer with the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, said that police took the men to Nsambya Police Barracks Hospital, subjecting them to forced anal examinations and HIV tests. Human Rights Watch has reported on how forced anal exams, which lack any medical or scientific value, are a form of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment that can rise to the level of torture.
The following quote can be attributed to Neela Ghoshal, senior LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch:
«The Ugandan police arbitrarily arrested 16 men and subjected them to cruel and degrading forced anal examinations. The police should immediately be held accountable and any charges against the men dropped. Police should protect gay men attacked by a mob, not brutalise them».
