Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) congratulates Mr Nicholas Opiyo who has received the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism.
Mr Nicholas Opiyo a Ugandan Lawyer has successfully argued several high-level constitutional challenges, including the fight against the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2013, which was declared null and void in August 2014.
SMUG Executive director Dr Frank Mugisha says “Nicholas Opiyo is our key legal partner in Uganda and one of the lawyers in Uganda who is not shy to represent and advise on LGBT issues. I congratulate him upon this well-deserved recognition.”
In an interview with a local newspaper The Daily Monitor Mr Opiyo said: “Many of us who wake up daily to defend civil liberties do so out of pure conviction. An award is the last thing on our mind at the start. In fact, one does not even evaluate the risk for if they did, they would not embark on the journey.”
“This is because often times, the work is not particularly very popular or materially rewarding,” he said.

Mr Opiyo said the award is, “a little reminder that however unpopular the cause, many people, maybe miles away, appreciate and support it in ways I never imagined.”
Mr Opiyo is the founder of Chapter Four Uganda, a human rights non-government organisation. He is also the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda board chairperson, a leading civil society umbrella championing the fight against graft in Uganda.
We at Sexual Minorities Uganda are truly honored and proud to have known and associated with Mr Opiyo. Keep up the good work comrade!