The consideration and passage by Uganda's government of one of the world's harshest anti-gay laws have unleashed a torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people, mostly committed by private individuals, rights groups said on Thursday.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was enacted in May, prescribes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts. At least six people have been charged under it, including two accused of the capital offence of "aggravated homosexuality."
But the report, authored by a committee of the Convening for Equality coalition, said the main perpetrators of human rights abuses against LGBTQ people this year—including torture, rape, arrest, and eviction—were private individuals.
It said this pointed to the way the law and the rampant homophobic rhetoric that preceded its passage earlier in the year had radicalized the public against the LGBTQ community.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, researchers documented 306 rights violations based on the victim's sexual orientation and gender identity, with state actors the perpetrators in 25 of those cases.
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