The Ugandan government has suspended the operations of a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) that advocates for the rights of sexual minorities, accusing it of working in the East African country illegally, according to a senior official. Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has for years championed the rights of LGBT people in Uganda, where homosexuality remains illegal and gay people face arrest, ostracism and violence. SMUG’s operations have been suspended because “they were operating illegally,” Stephen Okello, who heads a government agency that regulates NGOs, said in a statement shared with Reuters on Saturday.