A Ugandan court has struck out the first case prosecuted under the country’s controversial anti-gay law, a development rights advocates have described as a significant step forward.
The case was filed under the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, widely regarded as one of the toughest anti-LGBTQ laws globally. The legislation prescribes life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relationships and introduces the offence of “aggravated homosexuality,” which is punishable by death.
The dismissed case involved a 25-year-old man accused of engaging in same-sex relations with another adult male aged 41. Initially charged three months after the law was enacted, the offence carried the death penalty. The accused spent about 350 days in detention.
In January 2024, prosecutors amended the charge to “unnatural offences of having carnal knowledge against the order of nature,” which attracts a possible life sentence. However, on Monday, the court terminated the case after ruling that the accused was mentally unfit to stand trial.
According to his lawyer, Douglas Mawadri, the court found that the defendant was mentally unstable and unable to comprehend the trial proceedings. The defence argued that prolonged detention had caused him to develop serious mental health conditions, including psychosis and schizophrenia.
Reacting to the ruling, LGBTQ rights activist Richard Lusimbo described the decision as long overdue, noting that holding someone in custody for over a year without trial amounted to grave injustice.
Uganda, a largely conservative and Christian nation in East Africa, has long been criticised for its harsh stance on same-sex relationships. The passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act sparked widespread international condemnation from human rights groups, the United Nations and several Western governments.
Following the enactment of the law, the World Bank suspended funding to Uganda, although financial support was later restored in mid-2025.
The court’s decision has renewed calls from rights advocates for a broader review of the law and an end to prolonged detentions linked to its enforcement.
