KAMPALA, Uganda, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A gay British retiree was charged with obscenity in Uganda after a tabloid newspaper published photos that showed him having sex with another man.
Bernard Randall, 65, says the photos were from "very private videos" on a computer stolen from his home, The Independent reported Thursday.
The charges against Randall were reduced from "unnatural acts," which carry a potential 14-year prison term, to "trafficking obscene publications." Randall's Ugandan partner, Albert Cheptoyek, 30, faces seven years if he is convicted of "acts of gross indecency."
Uganda's laws banning homosexuality and efforts to increase the potential penalty to life in prison have caused an international outcry among gay rights activists. Randall's supporters include British actor Stephen Fry.
Randall said he is also fearful of vigilantes because of the publication of the pictures.
"The charges are nonsensical," he said.
"The publication of the pictures was as a consequence of the theft of my laptop. I wasn't publishing them. They were very private videos of my private life that got stolen."
