Ugandan women detained for same‑sex kiss face potential life sentence

Two young women in Uganda are facing the possibility of life imprisonment after being arrested for allegedly kissing in public, in a case that has intensified global concern over the country’s draconian anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician who performs under the name Torrero Bae, and 21-year-old Alesi Diana Denise were detained last week in Arua City, in Uganda’s north-west, after police raided their rented room.

According to a statement by regional police spokesperson Josephine Angucia, officers acted after what she described as “information received from the community” that the pair had engaged in “queer and unusual acts believed to be sexual in nature” and had allegedly been seen kissing “in broad daylight”. Angucia further claimed that “many ladies normally converge” at their residence, which police cited as additional grounds to arrest the women on suspicion of “practicing homosexuality”.

Both have remained in custody since their arrest. Authorities have not clarified if or when formal charges will be brought, The Guardian reports.

The arrests come under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, signed into law in May 2023 by President Yoweri Museveni. Widely condemned as one of the most oppressive anti-LGBTQ+ statutes in the world, the law prescribes life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relations and the death penalty for so-called “aggravated homosexuality”.

Rights groups say the detention of Faith and Denise is symptomatic of a broader pattern of abuse and persecution.

“We are closely monitoring this case and are deeply alarmed by the arrest of these two young women,” said Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (Smug). “This incident is unjust and profoundly disturbing, and it is not an isolated case. In recent months, we have seen a sharp and worrying rise in similar incidents, where people are being reported, targeted, harassed and arrested based solely on allegations about their identity or relationships.”

Mugisha warned that the impact reaches far beyond the individuals directly involved. “They are already being judged and condemned by society, and cases like this send a chilling message to LGBTQ+ people across the country that their safety and dignity are under threat.”

The Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum reported in January that it had documented 956 cases targeting LGBTQ+ people since the law came into force, affecting 1,276 individuals. Activists say these numbers reflect only a fraction of the abuses, amid an environment of fear, blackmail and extortion.

Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist Hans Senfuma described the current atmosphere as one of deep loss and trauma. “The queer community in Uganda right now is not just afraid. We are grieving,” he said. “We are grieving the freedom we never fully had. We are grieving two young women who did nothing wrong. We are grieving the Uganda we wish existed but does not yet.”

Senfuma underscored that the case of Faith and Denise is part of a systemic campaign of intimidation. “The arrest of Wendy and Diana is not an isolated incident. It is a message, loud, deliberate and brutal, sent to every queer person in Uganda: we are watching you, and we will come for you too,” he said.

“There are thousands of LGBTQI Ugandans who are silently deleting messages from their phones, moving out of shared homes, pulling away from the people they love, rehearsing how to look straight, how to laugh differently, how to survive,” he added.

In April 2024, Uganda’s constitutional court rejected a petition challenging the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a decision that further entrenched the law despite extensive criticism from domestic and international human rights organizations.

Human Rights Watch, in a May 2025 report titled Uganda: Anti-LGBT Law Unleashed Abuse, accused Ugandan authorities of enabling widespread discrimination, violence and persecution against LGBTQ+ people in the two years since the law’s enactment.

Mugisha urged Ugandan institutions and leaders to halt the targeting of sexual minorities. “We call on the Uganda police and political leaders to immediately stop the surveillance, harassment and targeting of individuals perceived to be LGBTQ Ugandans,” he said.

Senfuma appealed directly to foreign governments and international bodies to intensify pressure on Kampala. “To the international community: do not look away. Do not issue a statement and move on. The funding levers exist. Diplomatic pressure exists. Use them. Two girls are facing life imprisonment. If that does not move you to action, I genuinely do not know what will.”