{"id":50349,"date":"2022-08-13T04:36:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T04:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/08\/13\/uganda-bans-prominent-lgbtq-rights-group-african-business\/"},"modified":"2022-08-13T04:36:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T04:36:21","slug":"uganda-bans-prominent-lgbtq-rights-group-african-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africannewspaper.net\/2022\/08\/13\/uganda-bans-prominent-lgbtq-rights-group-african-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda Bans Prominent LGBTQ Rights Group – African Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Last week, Uganda\u2019s National Bureau for Non-governmental Organizations\u00a0banned<\/a>\u00a0Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights organization, for not having officially registered with it. SMUG was an organization that provided education about sexuality and advocated for LGBTQ people’s health services before it was banned.<\/p>\n Frank Mugisha, SMUG\u2019s director, informed Human Rights Watch that in 2016 the country\u2019s name registration body, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), had refused to approve SMUG\u2019s name \u2013 which is a requirement to register as a nongovernmental organization. URSB said that registering SMUG\u2019s name would be \u201cundesirable and un-registrable\u201d for a group that advocates for the rights and well-being of LGBTQ people.<\/p>\n This is the latest example of harassment against rights groups in Uganda, particularly those working on LGBTQ rights.<\/p>\n In recent years, police have raided gay-friendly bars and shelters for homeless LGBTQ youth, and arrested activists, subjecting them to forced anal examinations \u2013 a form of cruel, degrading, and inhuman treatment that can, in some instances, constitute torture.<\/p>\n In March 2020, police and residents raided the Children of the Sun Foundation. This shelter provides refuge for LGBTQ youth living in Wakiso. They beat and detained 23 people. Twenty people were taken into custody at the shelter.\u00a0detained by police<\/a>\u00a0for over six weeks and were denied access to lawyers. In May 2021, police raided another youth shelter in Wakiso to arrest 44 people. They initially thought they were holding a same sex wedding. Police\u00a0subjected<\/a>\u00a017 of the accused to forced anal examinations.<\/p>\n