A court in Jinja, Uganda, has refused to release six men accused of having gay sex that was allegedly filmed.
The 17-second video brought to the court as evidence against them was said to have gone viral on social media.
On Tuesday, the court said the men, aged between 20 and 26, should be held in custody for their own safety.
The judge refused to grant them bail, claiming they were not safe in the community. According to sources, their case will be heard on May 10th.
Prosecutors allege the suspects are part of a network that prepares boys for sodomy and recruits adult men for homosexuality.
Also, read; Jonathan Majors Faces More Abuse Claims From Multiple Victims As Talent Managers Drop Actor
Prosecutors further claimed the men were arrested when they recorded pornographic and sexual videos, which they “generally share with other parties for money.”
On April 4, a senior school teacher and her alleged lesbian partner were charged by the same court with obscenity and indecent exposure.
Uganda’s stance on homosexuality has often been influenced by religious and cultural beliefs. Many Ugandans view homosexuality as immoral and unnatural, and there have been instances of mob violence and vigilante attacks against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ugandan lawmakers in March, passed one of the world’s toughest anti-gay laws, leading to the death penalty for some crimes and imprisonment of up to 20 years for people who identify as LGBTQ.
The new legislation marks another crackdown on LGBT people in a country where same-sex relationships were already illegal and punishable by life imprisonment.
