Police break up gay pride event in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda — Police broke up a gay pride event in the capital and arrested about 20 people, a gay rights leader said Friday, in the latest incident highlighting the risks homosexuals face in Africa.

A fashion show was under way at a nightclub in Kampala when police showed up and asked who the organizers were, said Frank Mugisha, who was immediately handcuffed when he identified himself to a police commander as a leader among those attending the event.

In 2009 a Ugandan lawmaker introduced a bill that prescribed the death penalty for some homosexual acts, saying he wanted to protect Ugandan children.

“Tonight’s outrageous and unlawful government raid on a spirited celebration displays the extreme impunity under which Ugandan police are operating,” Health GAP, a U.S.-based AIDS advocacy group, said in a statement.