Uganda: Two women yanked back into prison for kissing
Their ‘crime’ is punishable by life imprisonment in Uganda.
Ugandan police have again arrested two women accused of kissing in public in violation of the country’s harsh Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023.
Anti-gay advocates claim that the LGBTQ+ community plans to whisk the women out of the country if they are granted bail. LGBTQ+ rights advocates warn that anti-homosexuality activists are planning to force the women into “conversion therapy”, a widely discredited procedure aimed at turning gay people straight.
The two women, Wendy Faith, age 22, and Alesi Diana Denise, age 21, were first arrested on Feb. 18 in Arua City in northwest Uganda after homophobic local vigilantes reportedly saw them kissing and contacted police. Wendy Faith is a musician also known as Torrero Bae.
The duo spent more than a week in police detention before they appeared in a local court on Feb. 27 to face charges of violating Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, specifically, Section 2(1) (2), which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
They were granted bail by the magistrate but their freedom was short-lived because they were re-arrested hours later and remanded until today (March 16).
Ugandan human rights defenders have condemned the couple’s continued detention, describing it as targeted harassment of the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda.
In a press release disseminated on social media, Uganda’s activist Kuchu Times Media Group stated that the continued detention of the two women is part of a systematic attempt to break the spirit of queer Ugandans.
“At Kuchu Times, we view this re-arrest not as an isolated legal procedure, but as a systemic attempt to break the spirit of queer Ugandans. The ‘revolving door’ arrest tactic is often used when initial evidence is thin, keeping individuals in a cycle of detention without trial to justify further investigation or to appease a hostile public”.
“They’re not criminals. Kissing is not a crime”, stated Hans Senfuma (they/them), a Ugandan LGBTQI+ rights campaigner.
Senfuma wrote on X: “Wendy and Diana, the two young innocent women, face life in prison in Uganda today and their only crime is a kiss. It’s very disappointing that [homophobes] also want to engage them in a Conversion Therapy which could be damaging and dangerous to them. FREE WENDY AND DIANA. Love is not a crime🏳️🌈”.
Frank Mugisha, the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, urged Ugandan authorities to drop all charges against the duo.
“In Uganda, two women were arrested for allegedly kissing, released, and then re-arrested on “homosexuality” charges. They have now been further remanded in jail until March 16. They have committed no crime and belong with their family and friends, not in prison. Drop all charges and repeal the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act” he posted on X.
The detention of the two young women has been cheered by anti-homosexuality activists, who view it as victory against the human rights movement.
For example, Job Richard Matua, an assistant resident city commissioner (RCC) for Arua City, has been busy on social media making all forms of homophobic comments against the detainees.
Two days before they re-appeared in court, Matua posted on X:
“Four hard-core homosexuals (all women) visited the remanded lesbians in Arua Prison. and registered false numbers in the visitors’ book. They told Wendy (tomboy) that, should they get bailed on Monday, they will disappear with them. [They] will now stay longer on remand.”
On March 16, Faith and Alesi appeared again in court and were denied bail. They were sent back to prison until April 8, when they are scheduled to appear in court again.
On the day of the court appearance, Matua claimed on X that LGBT rights activists were arranging for the couple to get Canadian visas.
He added that the women’s families oppose that plan.
“We are aware of the plans by @LGBT community of securing visas for these girls in Canada. The parents have said no to the LGBT”, he wrote.
In another X post, he wrote of plans for conversion therapy:
“We have lined up cultural leaders, religious leaders and counsellors to rehabilitate these girls. In fact, one of them was a member of Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) while in ordinary Level in @LogiriGirlsSS and the other a good student from @RoyalCollege Makindye”.
