Ugandan prosecutors have withdrawn charges against two women arrested for kissing in public under the country’s controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act.
The women, both in their 20s, were arrested in February after neighbours reported them to authorities in the northwestern city of Arua.
Police said neighbours photographed the pair and accused them of taking part in what they described as “same-sex orgies.”
A spokesperson for Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed on Friday that the case had been withdrawn.
“I confirm that the case was withdrawn from court by the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions),” Deputy Spokesperson Irene Nakimbugwe told AFP.
Despite the withdrawal, Uganda’s 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act remains in force. The law prescribes up to life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relations, while “aggravated homosexuality” carries the death penalty.
Human rights lawyer Frank Mugisha welcomed the decision to discontinue the case but said it should never have been prosecuted.
“Kissing is not a crime, and no one should be persecuted for who they are or who they love,” he said.
Mugisha also urged authorities to repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act and discontinue similar prosecutions.
Rights groups have accused Ugandan authorities of using the law to facilitate blackmail and extortion against members of the LGBT community in the conservative East African country.
The legislation has drawn widespread criticism from the United Nations and several Western governments.
The World Bank also suspended funding to Uganda after the law was enacted before restoring support in mid-2025.
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