Three Ugandan activists were arrested after as they protested in the capital Kampala against corruption by writing slogans on their bare torsos, reported AFP, quoted by BTA.
The young women, who painted their chests in the black, yellow and red colors of Uganda's national flag, were stopped by police as they walked towards parliament, chanting "Save the children, save the women, save the future, end the corruption", a video of the protest circulated on social networks shows. They have written on their bodies slogans such as "No to corruption", "Anita resignation" (Anita Among is the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament - note AFP) and "Kiteezi could have been prevented,", referring to the collapse of a dump that killed at least 34 people on August 10.
"Uganda is not poor, they are stealing its wealth," read another of their posters.
Their lawyer Eron Kiiza said the women were detained at Kampala Central Police Station. They then appeared in court and were remanded in custody at a high-security prison.
According to the indictment, the women are expected to appear in court on September 12. It states that they are accused of holding an unauthorized protest "while half-naked and with writings on their bodies", as well as disturbing public order.
The three women are part of the group "Uganda Freedom Activists", which on July 23 organized a protest against corruption, inspired by the anti-government protests in neighboring Kenya, notes AFP.
One of the three activists is Preise Aloikin Opoloye, a law student who is one of the organizers of this march, their lawyer said. She was arrested along with dozens of others who ignored the ban on organizing a protest issued by the authorities at the time.
Uganda is in 141st place (out of 180) in the corruption index of the international non-governmental organization "Transparency International". It was rocked by scandals of corruption, embezzlement and embezzlement involving political figures. In late May, the US imposed sanctions on 4 high-ranking Ugandan officials, including Anita Among, over allegations of "massive corruption".
Kampala condemned this decision, calling for respect for the country's sovereignty.
A month earlier, Britain also announced sanctions against Among and two former ministers on similar grounds.