Uganda said on Thursday it had charged 16 LGBT+ activists with the crime of gay sex — punishable by life in jail — in what campaigners called an escalating campaign against sexual minorities in the east African nation.

The 16 men, believed to be aged from 22 to 35, were taken into custody late on Monday at the office of a sexual health charity where they all worked and lived, fellow activists said.

Police said they had found lubricants, condoms and anti-retroviral drugs at the charity, and had conducted anal examinations on all 16 men.