In the first case where a lesbian or gay man has brought the authorities to court in Uganda, Justice Stella Arach ruled in favor of LGBT activists whose house was illegally raided by police in 2005.

Victor Juliet Mukasa, a member of Sexual Minorities Uganda, and Yvonne Oyoo, a Kenyan student, were both in Mukasa's house when local government officials raided the premises and seized documents. The officials then arrested, detained and stripped Oyoo, allegedly to prove she was female, and sexually harassed her. When the government failed to make any attempt to right the situation, the lesbian activists filed a suit against the Attorney General.

In her ruling, Justice Arach ordered both women to be paid for damages and noted that the police's actions violated several human rights treaties, including the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"The most important role that police play is to protect people," Mukasa said. "This judgment is a serious reminder to the Ugandan police that all Ugandans, including LGBT people, should be handled with respect and dignity."

Though Uganda became the first country in the world to legally ban same-sex marriage three years ago and LGBT citizens are routinely harassed and threatened, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Paula Ettelbrick commented, "This is a profound ruling that will limit police intrusiveness into the private lives of human rights defenders."