Ugandan police break up gay pride event, briefly arrest some

KAMPALA, Uganda – A gay rights leader in Uganda says he and some of his colleagues were briefly detained by police who broke up a gay pride event in the Ugandan capital.

Frank Mugisha said Friday he and about 20 others attending a fashion show at a Kampala nightclub late Thursday were arrested and taken to a police station for questioning. Mugisha said they were released over two hours later without being charged, although some said they had been slapped by officers.

He said one man trying to escape arrest had injured himself while trying to jump to safety.

Patrick Onyango, a spokesman for Ugandan police, confirmed the arrests but gave no details.

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law that prohibits sex acts “against the order of nature.”

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