LONDON, June 18, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Armed police on Monday afternoon raided a human rights workshop attended by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Kampala, prompting Amnesty International to reiterate its call on the government to end its outrageous harassment of people involved in lawful activities.
At least five staff of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) who organised the workshop were detained by the police along with at least 12 of the workshop participants.
Some of the participants, who were from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were able to escape after being informed by members of the media that the police were on their way.
“This ludicrous and senseless harassment of human rights activists has no basis in law whatsoever and has to stop,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International's deputy director for Africa.
“We are seeing a worrying pattern emerging whereby the Ugandan authorities engage in arbitrary activities deliberately designed to intimidate and threaten legitimate human rights work.”
“The participants in this workshop had done absolutely nothing wrong and we call on the police to end this outrageous behaviour which makes a mockery of Uganda's human rights obligations.”
For more information on previous harassment of LGBT activists in Uganda, please follow the link:
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