Pride Uganda organizers said in a statement on Thursday that Ethics Minister Simon Lokodo has threatened to arrest them if they hold the festival.

“He has categorically stated, time and again, that gender and sexual minorities have no rights in Uganda and today had all the venues of the planned Pride events surrounded by state militia,” the statement said.

Last year, the same event was stopped by the police after the authorities threatened to arrest the organizers of the event, arguing such gatherings were illegal under Uganda’s penal code.

Some of the patrons of the event were ordered into the vehicles and driven to Kampala for questioning. They were later set free without any charges.