Updated

Uganda's government says it "will continue to suppress" the public activities of homosexuals it accuses of trying to promote themselves.

Simon Lokodo, a Ugandan minister in charge of ethics and integrity, told reporters Monday that gay pride activities are being organized "with the influence of some foreign forces" he didn't name.

Ugandan police last week arrested about 20 people attending a gay pride event at a nightclub in the capital, Kampala. They were questioned and released hours later.

Homosexuality is criminalized in Uganda under a colonial-era law that proscribes sex acts "against the order of nature." Gay leaders say the LGBTI community faces discrimination, violence and extortion.

Lokodo says the government is developing a program to "rehabilitate" LGBTI members.