On August 3, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a leading LGBTQI+ organization in the country, was forced to close by the National Bureau for Non-Government Organizations for allegedly failing to register with the bureau. The NGO Bureau had previously rejected SMUG’s attempts to register in 2016 stating that the name and mission of the organization was “undesirable and unregistrable.” The World Movement for Democracy joins over 90 international and regional human rights organizations calling Uganda’s government to immediately reverse this decision, end longstanding persecution of the LGBTQI+ community, and comply with its legal obligations to protect the LGBTQI+ population under international human rights law.

Read the joint statement here.