Speaking the Truth to a Neo-liberal Dictatorship: Gen. Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni please stop the kidnaps, torture and murder of Ugandans

 

 

Candidates for the ICC in Museveni’s neo-liberal repressive state: Col. Frank Bagyenda Kaka’s Crimes Against humanity

https://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2020/07/candidates-for-icc-in-musevenis-neo.html

 

Museveni’s killer instincts exposed: From Killing Kazini, Kaweesa, Kirumira, Kasirye, Abiriga to killing Zebra : Boxer Zebra shot nine times by 12 security officers, CCTV reveals

https://watchmanafrica.blogspot.com/2021/01/musevenis-killer-instincts-exposed-from.html

Mr President please stop the kidnaps, torture and murder

https://observer.ug/viewpoint/68242-mr-president-please-stop-the-kidnaps-torture-and-murder  

January 27, 2021

 

Written by Editorial

 

The dark times when Ugandans were not sure whether if they left for work in the morning, they would return home safely, are slowly being experienced again.

During the presidential campaigns, security operatives criminalized political competition and divergent opinions. Those suspected of having ties with the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) or its leader, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi were picked up from their homes, roads, cars and offices, and taken to secret detention centres.

 

Some of the abductees have returned with torture wounds, and others have never been seen or traced to any police cell or military barracks. It is suspected they died. The abductors move in unidentified vehicles; their faces are masked and armed to the teeth.

In Naama county in Mukono, seven days to polling day (January 14, 2020) 13 young men some of them supporters of Hon. Kyagulanyi were abducted by men who refused to identify themselves. The terror-stricken parents contacted and checked with police posts and stations in the district.

Their search has not yielded anything. The Uganda People Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Police who by law monopolize weapons of violence have all denied complicity in the disappearance of these people. The parents, wives, children of the abductees fear for the worst. Similar cases are reported in Abim, Kaboong, Kampala, Ibanda, Kalangala and Iganga districts.

Recently at Nasser Road, Kampala, a young business person, Umar Kiggimu was dragged from his workplace in broad daylight by unidentified armed men and taken to an unknown place. The armed men came in a tinted, unregistered vehicle. He was not shown an arrest warrant nor did they tell him what offence he committed.

But he was involved in printing campaign posters, especially for NUP candidates. Extrajudicial killings and abductions featured prominently during the dictatorial regimes of Idd Amin Dada and Dr Apollo Milton Obote.

President Museveni has severally claimed that he launched the guerilla campaigns in Luwero in 1981 in order to end extrajudicial killings and disappearances of Ugandans, among other things. He commonly refers to this kind of heinous crime as state-inspired violence against the citizen.

The impunity with which these abductions, torture and illegal detentions are done, reveal that those involved have special approval. It is even fuelled by the widespread shutdown of social media, which can no longer publish such macabre events –giving free rein to gun-wielding security operatives.

While addressing Special District Administrators, police commanders and other heads of security in 1980s, President Museveni said he would not preside over a country where a Ugandan is killed and the authorities do not know who has killed him or her.

Mr President, you are the consumer of all the intelligence in the country and commander in chief of the armed forces, it is high time you reined in your security operatives. All Ugandans have a right to life, divergent opinions and freedom to associate with whomever they feel like.

It is not right to criminalize political competition and legitimate opposition. If it is the case of enforcing the laws of the country, let the enforcement agencies follow the laws.

The arresting officer must be identified, the offence committed must be explained to the arrestee, the detention centres must be those that are recognized by law, and the arrested person must be produced in court within 48 hours. Ugandans deserve better and since Mr President promised a secure future for them, kindly act and end these human rights abuses.

 

Missing NUP supporter found dead

https://www.independent.co.ug/missing-nup-supporter-found-dead/  

The Independent January 20, 2021

 

 

 Zurupha Nampijja, the widow. PHOTO URN

Mukono, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Rogers Ssemakula, one of the National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters and resident of Kabembe in Kyampisi Sub County in Mukono district who went missing on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections, has been found dead. 

His body was recovered from Kiyunga forest by a team of NUP supporters following days of searching. Ssemakula,’s widow, Zarupha Nampijja says her husband did not return home on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections. 

According to Nampijja, she had cautioned the deceased against moving at the night during campaigns due to the rampant kidnap of NUP supporters in the area.

Asadu Jjemba, a resident of Kabembe says the deceased is among several NUP supporters who were kidnapped by people driving in a white numberless van during in the night of January 13th, 2021. 

He says while the rest were released, Ssemakula was still missing.

“When I was at Kabembe recently, I heard people saying there was a raid in which several people were arrested. Today, we found out one of the persons who was picked up, is dead,” Jjemba said.

Police take away the body after it was found. PHOTO URN

Throughout the parliamentary campaigns, NUP candidates and coordinators repeatedly complained about the kidnap and brutalization of their supporters. Abdullah Kiwanuka, the Mukono North NUP elect, says after failing to get police attention, they are finalizing a petition to present before high court to compel police and the government to produce their missing members, dead or alive.

He says nine of their members namely Isma Ssenkubuge, Juma Mukasa, Joseph Kyakuwa, Muhammad Kanata, Steven Ntulume, Julius Kiberu, Musa Male, Sowedi Lwanga and Isma Mwanjazi are still missing.

Although the NUP members point accusing fingers at Ronald Kibuule, the Water State Minister and incumbent Mukono North MP for masterminding the kidnaps and torture opposition supporters,  he has vehemently denied the accusations. 

In a telephone interview on Tuesday evening, Kibuule tasked those accusing him to produce evidence implicating him for the kidnaps. Grace Nyangoma, the Commander Naggalama Police Division has denied accusations of declining to enter cases of torture and missing persons by the opposition members.

********

URN

 

Kidnappings: The list is endless

https://observer.ug/news/headlines/68334-kidnappings-the-list-is-endless

February 3, 2021

Written by Ernest Jjingo

 

The scope of kidnappings and the damage to families comes into sobering focus when you see the multitudes of relatives and friends searching everywhere for their missing loved ones.

In a tweet posted at 11:30pm on Sunday, January 31, 2021, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the president of the opposition National Unity Platform, said, ‘Panda-gari’ is back in full force. Political activists and ordinary citizens now dread these vehicles called drones.

Countless Ugandans have been abducted and taken to unknown places. Mukasa Kenneth, a comrade, is the latest victim. Kidnapped yesterday, no one knows where he is.”

The list is endless. And every day that list broadens.

MICHAEL SSEMUDDU, 48, a resident of Masanafu in Lubaga division, was kidnapped with three others on November 21, 2020 at about 6 pm by men in a drone van. They were picked at Masanafu junction.

Isma Lubega, a friend to Ssemuddu, says five masked-up men dressed in black police uniforms came out of the drone van, bundled Ssemuddu and his three colleagues into the car and took off. His three colleagues were dropped off midway and the captors continued with Ssemuddu to unknown destination. The three have, however, refused to speak to anyone about the incident.

JOHN DDAMULIRA, 51, a resident of Kuleekaana stage on Salaama road in Makindye division, was also kidnapped on the same day from his shop in Kisekka market in Kampala by men in a drone. Ddamulira was abducted together with his son and some customers.

After driving around the city suburbs for hours, Ddamulira’s son, Alimukizi Ddamulira, and the customers were dropped off at Bweyogerere at around 10 pm. The captors continued with the father.

“When they came to our shop, they pointed guns at us; they handcuffed my father, threw us into the drone and they drove off,” he said.

On November 20, Hassan Mubiru, the head of security (Defence) in Mugema zone in Kawaala, was also abducted in a similar way. According to his wife Shadia Nakaweesi, the men who kidnapped her husband stormed their home at around 4 am, broke down the door and bundled him into a drone van. She said the captors claimed her husband had a gun in the house, which she denies.

Nakaweesi said whenever she goes to police to inquire about the progress of the investigations into her husband’s kidnapping, she is chased away.

RONALD MUGERWA, a businessman in Buwama on Masaka road, was kidnapped by men in plainclothes from Equator Gardens Kayabwe, where he was hanging out with friends on January 6.

The men were travelling in two vehicles; a Super Custom and a drone. Mugerwa’s wife, Sharon Kangume, says the pistol-totting men grabbed her husband and his friend, confiscated everything they had on them including mobile phones and drove off with them.

Mugerwa was kidnapped together with Abdul Rashid Nkinga, a NUP mayoral candidate for Buwama town council. When Kangume and other relatives reported the matter to police, they were told to wait until elections were finished.

JULIUS BUTEMBO, a butcher in Katabi Central Market in Entebbe, was abducted from the market in December last year after he was warned against putting up Robert Kyagulanyi’s poster in the market. His wife said that an unknown man called her and told her that her husband had been arrested and taken to CID headquarters in Kireka.

When she reported the matter to Entebbe police station, she was told the men who took her husband first introduced themselves to police and, therefore, they were known to them.

CHARLES KABANDA, the LC1 chairperson of Ssumbwe zone in Bulaga, Wakiso district, was kidnapped in December by men in army uniform at 9pm. The men were apparently driving a drone registration number UBH 614U.

Kabanda’s relatives and friends suspect his kidnapping was politically motivated since he was mobilizing support for presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi in the area.

SYLVESTER KALULU, a pineapple trader in Kasubi market, was kidnapped on December 13 by masked-up men. They were driving a drone with no registration number.

The officer in charge of Kawaala police station said Kalulu was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the November 18-19, 2020 riots, which broke out after the arrest of Bobi Wine in Luuka district. During a security press briefing on January 26, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga urged journalists to generate a list of all people who have been kidnapped, the areas and date they were kidnapped, so that police can work with UPDF to look for those people.

During the parliamentary sitting on January 28, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda brought the kidnapping issue before the house. In his response, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said government had taken keen interest in looking into the matter and would act accordingly.

The Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, therefore, ordered the Parliament Committee on Human Rights to take stock of the human rights violations that marred the electoral process and report back to the house within one month. She also urged the administrative and security authorities to respect the rule of law and safeguard human rights.

(Some are transcripts from NTV Akawungeezi)

Terror of kidnaps grips Ugandans: Haunted ‘Vegas’ Lubega speaks

 https://observer.ug/news/headlines/68336-terror-of-kidnaps-grips-ugandans-haunted-vegas-lubega-speaks

February 3, 2021

 

Written by John Vianney Nsimbe

 

 

In towns, cities and villages, young men are disappearing, especially known supporters of the opposition National Unity Platform led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the fiercest challenger to President Museveni and runner-up in the January 14 general election.

Grim accounts are emerging from relatives, friends and former abductees about the unexplained disappearances and many narratives point an accusing finger at security services. Many youths have been picked from their homes in the dead of the night by gun-wielding men, others have been grabbed off the streets in broad daylight while others have simply run and gone into hiding.

Joseph Lubega, the boxer, who captained team Uganda to the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, has just walked out of captivity after what he called a “terrible ordeal” of one month behind bars. Interviewed about his ordeal in captivity by The Observer, Lubega said he knew he was a dead man.

 

He said he spent every single day in jail between December 2020 and January 2021 thinking about how his obituary would read. He also toyed with some lines that would be printed on his tombstone. Walking with a limp and struggling to endure searing back pain, Lubega draws a painfully poignant portrait of his suffering in captivity.

Lubega, commonly known as “Joe Vegas” in his home area of Kaabaganda off Bombo road near Maganjo-Kagoma in Wakiso district, said his physical pain pales in comparison to the psychological trauma he is trying to overcome right now. He said he is still a haunted man.

On December 29, Lubega attended a burial. On his way back home, he was grabbed by unknown people and taken to an undisclosed location. Although he faintly remembers how events unfolded on that fateful afternoon as he tried to get back to his five children and wife Allen Kaggwa, Lubega recalls feeling dazed, after taking a cup of tea with colleagues he had travelled with.

“I remember being dragged and beaten in the sides, probably before I blacked out. But I cannot tell you how the whole episode panned out. I only remember waking up in a very dark place. I did not know where I was. But I could only hear people’s voices, yet I could not even see them,” Lubega said.

No sooner had he gained consciousness, than a big door opened. By its structure, Lubega said, it seemed to lead to a dungeon. Food was brought, yet at the same time, he was ordered out. He said he couldn’t make out the face of his jailer. He said he could see his head gear, an army uniform, cargo pants (with many side pockets), and a gun. At that point, he said, it dawned on him that he had been abducted.

“The soldier asked me what Bobi Wine’s plan B was. I told him I did not know what he was talking about. Soon after, I was blindfolded and dragged out, only to be battered endlessly. They kept telling me that I was training a group of boxers to disrupt the elections, which was not true,” Lubega said.

That was simply the start of the torture sessions. Beyond the beatings, which were done with gun butts and batons, the psychological torture was more distressing, he said with a worried look. “

Apart from being in a smelly place, we ate right in front of our toilet, we moved guided by our sense of touch, since we could not see, we never knew what time of day it was. And seeing no light at all is so unbearable. The experience of feeling blind is depressing, you cannot imagine,” Lubega said.

Worse still, Lubega recalled that when his tormentors walked into the dark room, which he referred to as some hell on earth, they would not hesitate to taunt him: “They used to tell me, Vegas, say your last prayers, because you do not have much time left on earth.”

By that time, Lubega’s close friend Zebra Ssenyange had been killed and he did not know. But as Lubega tried to pray to keep strong, he thought about his young children and beautiful wife. He pleaded with his captors, he cried profusely day and night as he tried to persuade his captors to spare his life.

Lubega said facing the prospect of death is such a difficult thing. The fear overwhelms you to a point that praying becomes really difficult. You get into survival mode especially when there is no escape route. Despite all the fatigue and agony, Lubega could not sleep.

He kept getting nightmares about his looming death. The thought of himself in a coffin loomed large. He also thought about what would be written on his tombstone.

“I kept awake most of the time, crying until I could cry no more, wondering what I had done to deserve such treatment,” Lubega said.

Ironically, he was not alone. His wife Allen Kaggwa was running mad at home, where they have a small farm. The stress got to her and she decided to close the salon she was running in Makerere.

“Not having the father of my children at home was unbearable. I did not have answers for the children. At the same time, I did not think I could pay the rent in Makerere anymore; so, I closed the salon,” Kaggwa said.

She said she was so distraught because she didn’t know where her husband was yet news of Zebra Ssenyange’s murder had just broken. On top of that, their home became another horror movie.

“I could only sleep during day. But at night, I was awake all through, worried about what could happen to us under the cover of darkness,” Kaggwa said.

She said that one night, at about 2 am, people drove into their compound and parked. At first, she thought Lubega had come back. However, she couldn’t hear any sound of movement or voices outside. The occupants of the car simply sat tight. She said she remained still until about 6am when they drove away.

Such scare tactics did not stop Kaggwa from looking for her husband. Using social media, TV and radio, she made a rallying call to whoever could help her find Lubega. The situation seemed hopeless all around. She reached out to police and other people, who had last seen Lubega at the burial.

However, a week ago, a neighbour knocked on her bedroom window at 6 am and told her that she had news of Lubega’s whereabouts. She said Lubega had been dumped somewhere in Bombo. Kaggwa quickly went to the location and found Lubega helpless and unconscious.

The reunion was emotional. Kaggwa cried as she tried to get her hubby onto his legs without much success. For Lubega, he still feels like he is back from the dead.

“I was picked from the dark room, blindfolded. As I walked up the staircase, to the waiting car, my captors kept telling me, Vegas, this is the final hour. Time to meet your creator. I was overcome by grief and imaginations of what the afterworld would be like for me. I felt weak in the knees. I was already dead as these fellows held a gun to my head,” Lubega said.

When Lubega finally woke up and saw his wife and later his children, he was very excited. He doesn’t wish anyone to go through his ordeal. While in the dungeon, he recalls that more abductees were brought in from several places around the country.

The only way they consoled each other, was by telling stories of their abduction. Strangely, they couldn’t see each other since they were in a very dark place but they connected. They vowed that whoever survived would alert the dead colleagues’ families.

To-date, Lubega says he doesn’t know what happened to his inmates, much as he remembers their names. But as he continues to get treatment for his physical wounds, Lubega is more worried about the psychological wounds; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He cannot sleep because he keeps getting nightmares of being killed. He is a haunted man.

DOCTOR’S ADVICE

However, according to Julius Kikooma, a psychologist at Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, depending on how much trauma weighs on a victim’s mind, it is difficult to know the impact before proper diagnosis is done.

He said people who suffer from PTSD emerge from a very dark place that brought them distress and discomfort to their mental capacity (brain) over a protracted spell.

If one lived under the threat of death constantly or under so much fear and anxiety caused by being incarcerated against their will, tortured and so forth, it is very possible they will suffer from PTSD. This can present with sleep disorders (lack of sleep), endless anxiety, restlessness, hearing of voices, hallucinations and nightmares, among other things.

Once such symptoms persist, the victim must seek medical help. Interviewed about the rampant kidnaps, Gen Jeje Odongo, the minister of Internal Affairs, told journalists recently that he needs specifics like names of the victims and places where the kidnap happened.

  

 

 

 This photo taken on February 1, 2021 shows one of the supporters of National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi, carrying a colleague as they entered the General Court Martial in Makindye. She could not walk on her own because she was allegedly tortured in custody following their arrest in December 2020. PHOTOS/ KELVIN ATUHAIRE

Nubian Li, Eddie Mutwe and 47 other Bobi supporters further remanded

  https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/nubian-li-eddie-mutwe-and-47-other-bobi-supporters-further-remanded-3276214

Monday February 01 2021

 By Kelvin Atuhaire

At least 49 supporters and private guards of former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi who were arrested in December last year, will spend seven more days on remand at Kitalya prison after the army court deferred hearing of their bail application.

The suspects who include the musician turned politician’s singing partner Ali Bukeni alias Nubian Li and head of his personal bodyguards Eddy Ssebufu alias Eddie Mutwe, on Monday appeared before the General Court Martial chaired by Lt General Andrew Gutti with hope that they would be released on bail after spending more than 30 days on remand.

Through their lawyers; Mr Benjamin Katana and Mr Joseph Turyamusiima, some of the suspects who were either limping or carried by colleagues, told the army court that they had been tortured after their arrest and needed better medical attention which could not be provided by prison authorities.

However, the state prosecutor Maj Emmy Ekyaruhanga protested their release, arguing that the state need more time to scrutinize their bail application documents, including particulars of their sureties.

“My Lord we have just received the files for bail application this (Monday) morning and we did not get time to look through the documents. We request that this honorable court gives us more time to verify the documents presented by the sureties,” Maj Ekyaruhanga said.

However, Mr Turyamusiima countered, arguing that some of the suspects had been tortured and needed medical attention which they are not getting in prison.

 

“My Lord these people have been in prison for more than 30 days. Some of them were tortured after their arrest and they need better medical attention. Some are the bread winners for their families which have been suffering since the day of their arrest. We request that this honorable court grants these people bail as a virtue of respecting human rights,” he said.

Gen Gutti, however, opted to adjourn the hearing to February 8, 2021 to give the state more time to scrutinize the bail application documents.

This picture taken on February 1, 2021 shows 49 supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine in the holding cells at the General Court Martial in Makindye, Kampala. PHOTOS/ KELVIN ATUHAIRE

Prosecution alleges that all the 49 suspects and others still at large on January 3, at Makerere Kavule Kigundu zone, were found in possession of four rounds of ammunition which is a monopoly of the Defense Forces. However, at the time of the said offence, most of the suspects were in Kitalya Prison where they had been remanded by Masaka Court in December last year.

Most of the suspects were part of the 100 supporters of Bobi Wine who were granted bail by Masaka Court on January 05, 2021 where they had been charged with six counts, including inciting violence and assaulting police officers on duty, among others.

They include Rachel Akiki Tusime, Saphina Nansove, Jamira Namwanje Kalyango, Hassan Ssemakula aka Abdu Soldier, Muhamad Nsubuga, Shakira Namboozo, Muzafalu Mwanga, Ismail Nyanzi Kaddu, Stanley Kafuko, Kivumbi Achile and Geoffrey Onzima.

Others are Anthony Agaba aka Bobi Young, Robert Kivumbi aka Mighty Family, Bonny Obicho, Samson Ssekiranda, Sharif Najja, Brian Ssemanda, Robert Katumba, Fatumah Namubiru, Joy Namuyimba, Monica Twashemerirwe, Oliver Lutaya, Charles Mpanga, Georffrey Mutalya, Geserwa Kyabagu, Benedicto Musisi, Baker Kalyango, Faisal Kigongo, Musa Mulimba, Nelson Ndyasiima, Alex Karamagi, Daniel Oyerwot, Hussein Mukasa, Sunday John Bosco, Isma Muganga.

Uganda: Stop killings and human rights violations ahead of election day

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/12/uganda-stop-killings-and-human-rights-violations-ahead-of-election-day/  

14 December 2020, 00:01 UTC

The Ugandan authorities must take measures to immediately end the wave of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the ongoing election campaigns, said Amnesty International today with a month left to election day.

Voters in the East African country are due to go to the polls on 14 January 2021 to elect a president, members of parliament and local government representatives, in what is proving to be the most violent election period in the country’s history.

With election day fast approaching, it is imperative that the Ugandan authorities reverse the persistent use of excessive force by the security forces, arbitrary arrests and detention and attacks on journalists. Authorities must ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice and that victims are granted access to justice and effective remedies.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

“With election day fast approaching, it is imperative that the Ugandan authorities reverse the persistent use of excessive force by the security forces, arbitrary arrests and detention and attacks on journalists. Authorities must ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice and that victims are granted access to justice and effective remedies,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

The campaign period has been characterized by killings, beatings and violent dispersal of opposition supporters using teargas and rubber bullets.

In the five weeks since electoral campaigns began on 9 November, dozens of people have been killed in election-related violence, most of them shot dead by police and other security forces, including unidentified gun-toting individuals in plainclothes, and dozens more have been injured.
President Yoweri Museveni has publicly stated that 54 people were killed on 18 and 19 November in the protests and unrest that followed the arrest of the leading opposition presidential candidate and popular musician, Robert Kyagulanyi (popularly known as Bobi Wine).

“That no less than 54 protesters were killed by police and other unidentified individuals in plainclothes in just two days should be a warning call to the world that worse may be yet to come as election day approaches,” said Deprose Muchena.

“The African Union, and the United Nations must increase pressure on Ugandan authorities to end acts of political repression and to respect human rights before, during and after the elections.”

President Museveni, so far in office for 34 years, is seeking a sixth term. Other candidates in the presidential race include Robert Kyagulanyi for the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, retired former army commander Maj-Gen Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Patrick Oboi Amuriat for the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party (DP).

COVID-19 pandemic used as a pretext for repression

While many opposition presidential candidates have been subjected to some form of police violence on the campaign trail the worst of it appears to be targeted at Robert Kyagulanyi and supporters of his NUP party. They have been shot at, teargassed, beaten and arbitrarily detained, besides being repeatedly denied access to tarmacked roads, public grounds and hotels in many parts of the country.

On 1 December, police fired shots into Kyagulanyi’s car, prompting him to briefly suspend his campaign. He has now taken to wearing a hard hat and bullet proof vest since he returned to the campaign trail.

The authorities have justified the use of force as necessary to ensure compliance with measures to contain COVID-19. However, there is evidence Ugandan law is being used disproportionately to restrict opposition gatherings.

“While it is reasonable that the Ugandan authorities, like others elsewhere around the world, should take measure to halt the further spread of COVID-19, it is apparent that in Uganda, COVID-19 regulations have been weaponized and disproportionately applied to the opposition as pretext for political repression and to restrict their activities, and their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” said Deprose Muchena.

Amnesty International has noted many instances when supporters of the ruling NRM, unlike those of NUP and other parties, have gathered in large crowds unhindered by police. During the last elections in 2016, police used the Public Order Management Act (POMA), a law that gave police excessive powers to prohibit public gatherings and protests, to disperse opposition rallies in a selective and partisan manner. On 26 March 2020, the Constitutional Court declared the section that gave police these overbroad powers illegal and unconstitutional.

Concerning rhetoric

Besides the high levels of violence by the police and other security forces, Amnesty International is concerned by the threatening rhetoric from senior government officials. Security Minister Gen Elly Tumwine said in Kampala in the aftermath of the police killings that: “Police has a right to shoot you and kill you if you reach a certain level of violence. Can I repeat? Police has a right or any security agency if you reach a certain level, they have a right.”

For his part, President Museveni, speaking at a political rally in Kotido town, northern Uganda, warned people against protesting, saying they would be “crushed”. He has also increasingly taken to anti-LGBTI rhetoric, which is deeply concerning given Uganda’s history of attacks on gay people. “Some of these groups are being used by outsiders; the homosexuals and other groups outside there who don’t like the stability and independence of Uganda. But they will discover what they are looking for,” he said in Kotido.

Attacks on journalists

Amnesty International is also concerned about growing intimidation, harassment and attacks on journalists in the lead up to elections.

Human Rights Network for Journalists (HNRJ) Uganda has reported over 100 cases of human rights violations against journalists, including cases of police violence, especially when they are out covering political candidates. It says journalists have been teargassed, even when in branded cars showing the media outlets they work for.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of Uganda has reported at least three incidents of police attacks on its members. The association, which brings together foreign journalists and Ugandan journalists working for foreign media, reported that on 3 November, an international journalist was pepper-sprayed in the face by a police officer. Two days later, a Ugandan journalist working for international media was shot in the face by a policeman; and on 1 December, a foreign journalist was targeted and shot at close range with a rubber bullet.

More recently on 10 December, the Media Council cancelled the accreditation of all foreign journalists and directed them to apply for and obtain a “Special Media Pass” by 31 December. All media outlets and media workers in Uganda are also required to apply afresh for accreditation before 31 December.

On 27 November, three foreign journalists were arrested and deported despite having been duly accredited by the Media Council ahead of their entry into the country.

Journalists in Uganda are facing an unprecedent level of violence and restrictions covering this election campaign where previously the authorities had allowed international media scrutiny. This intimidation, harassment and violence on journalists must stop.

Deprose Muchena

“Journalists in Uganda are facing an unprecedent level of violence and restrictions covering this election campaign where previously the authorities had allowed international media scrutiny. This intimidation, harassment and violence on journalists must stop,” said Deprose Muchena.

“With a month to go to the polls, it is not too late for the Ugandan authorities to turn the tide and ensure respect for the human rights of everyone. Neither is it too late for the region, continent and the international community at large to speak out on the ongoing repression and crackdown on human rights in Uganda, and to push for the government to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights of its own people.”