KAMPALA, UGANDA — Uganda’s LGBTQ community is enduring an unprecedented wave of violence, discrimination, and state-sponsored persecution, according to a damning report released Monday by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The report marks two years since Uganda enacted one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ laws—the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act—which criminalizes consensual same-sex relations with sentences of up to life imprisonment and mandates the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality.”
HRW says the law has triggered a systematic campaign of abuse, fueled by government rhetoric and implemented through the security apparatus. The report documents widespread police harassment, extortion, arbitrary arrests, and targeted violence, often based solely on perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
“For the last two years, LGBT Ugandans have suffered a range of abuses because of the government’s willful decision to legislate hate against them,” said Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Ugandan authorities need to urgently improve this environment, which enables a wide range of human rights violations and puts countless Ugandans at serious risk of abuse.”
A Climate of Fear
The HRW report outlines how LGBTQ individuals, activists, and their families are being hunted through both physical and digital means. Interviewees described receiving threatening phone calls and online messages. One activist recounted how the threats culminated in a 2023 home invasion, where three men sexually assaulted her friend.
“You make me ashamed to be Ankole,” one of the attackers said, referencing one of Uganda’s largest ethnic groups. “If we want, we can kill you and no one will look for you.”
Widespread Impacts
According to Kampala-based Defend Defenders, eight incidents of physical and sexual violence, including corrective rape, were reported within just 24 hours of the law’s enactment. LGBTQ organizations have since faced severe crackdowns—including bans on operations, staff detentions, and legal harassment.
Legal aid providers have also been targeted, creating a chilling effect on efforts to protect LGBTQ rights.
“The number of requests [for assistance] is overwhelming,” a DefendDefenders staff member told HRW.
Official Silence
Despite multiple attempts, HRW says it received no response from Ugandan government, police, or judicial authorities.
The report highlights the deliberate use of traditional and social media by public officials to spread misinformation and incite hatred. HRW warns that this campaign has emboldened vigilante violence and further isolated the LGBTQ community from access to support and justice.
International partners, including donor governments and rights organizations, condemned the 2023 law at its inception, with many withdrawing aid in protest. However, HRW urges stronger diplomatic and financial pressure to reverse what it describes as a human rights crisis.
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