Africa-Press – Uganda. Over the past few months, hordes of Ugandans, especially the youth, have been rounded up by unidentified people who relatives of the victims suspect to be security operatives.
Many of those who have been picked up have not been in contact with their loved ones since. It has taken months for some, and the crackdown seems to continue.
The different accounts we have gathered about many of those arrests – in fact almost all – show that they are supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party and their loved ones suspect that the arrests are politically motivated.
NUP party and its leader Robert Kyagulanyi have on many occasions cried out about what they say is the continued harassment and illegal detention of their supporters and members.
When many of the victims are picked up, we have found out, their loved ones often report to the NUP party asking for help, believing that the arrests are politically motivated. In some cases we have come across, however, there have not been any such reports to NUP and even to the police.
The relatives and friends have just been moving up and down in search for their loved ones.All the while this has been going on, however, there has been no official explanation of the arrests.Many of those that have been picked up have not even been charged in courts of law but their relatives and friends continue to believe that they are in the hands of the State.
Our laws and international treaties to which Uganda is party require the relevant State organs that may arrest citizens who are suspected of committing crimes to notify the concerned people and their relatives or friends why the concerned people are being arrested.
Once arrested, one must be kept at a gazetted detention centre and be allowed access to lawyers and family, and also be charged in a competent court of law within 48 hours of being arrested.In case the State is unable to do that, the arrested person should be released on police bond as investigations continue. Under no circumstances should anyone who has been arrested on suspicion of committing whichever offense may be subjected to torture.
Unfortunately, so many people have claimed being tortured in recent times, and many have presented with injuries to back up the allegations.We repeat these basic things not because we think those acting on behalf of the State are ignorant of them, but because we fear that the standards have gone a tad too low in recent times and we need to return to the basics.
