Police in Uganda have detained 16 men
on suspicion of homosexuality and human trafficking.
According to the AP, the men were
arrested in a suburb of Kampala, the nation's capital, on Monday as
they were being hosted by a rights group.
A police officer who spoke on condition
of anonymity said that the men were detained following a “complaint
from the public.”
The arrests happened as rumors swirl
that the government is planning to introduce the death penalty for
gay sex.
In 2013, Uganda approved a similar
bill, dubbed the “Kill the Gays” bill. The nation's highest court
struck down the law on a technicality.
While the government has denied such a
plan exists, the United States and the European Union, major donors
of aid to Uganda, have said that they oppose the legislation.
Uganda's colonial-era penal code
criminalizes gay sex with up to life in prison. The new bill is
expected to also prohibit “attempted homosexuality” and
“promotion of homosexuality.”