Africa-Press – Uganda. Robert Kyagulanyi, the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has called on the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) to stop mocking Ugandans who are in search of justice.
Kyagulanyi expressed his disappointment in Mariam Wangadya, the commission’s chairperson, stating that she is a disgrace to her position.
Robert Kyagulanyi during his 2022 State of the Nation address
Recently, UHRC closed the cases of 18 missing NUP supporters reported between 2020 and 2023. These individuals were part of a list of 30 names provided by the NUP Secretariat for investigation.
Some of the people on the list were allegedly taken away by security forces using drones.
Wangadya revealed that during their investigations, they were unable to locate 18 out of the 30 missing persons. She mentioned that the commission had contacted various security agencies and visited detention facilities in search of the missing individuals, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
She further explained that the NUP failed to provide National Identification Numbers (NIN) for the commission to verify the identities of the listed individuals.
Wangadya acknowledged the significance of the issue but highlighted the challenges faced by the commission, including uncooperative behavior from the known next of kin of the missing persons.
According to Wangadya, some individuals outrightly refused to cooperate with the investigators, while others showed a lack of interest in assisting with the investigation.
Based on these circumstances, the commission decided to close the cases, deeming further investigation futile.
In a statement, Kyagulanyi declared that they would not rest in their pursuit of accountability and justice for their people, utilizing both domestic and international channels.
“Earlier this week, Mariam Wangadya, the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, made an absurd statement insinuating that some of the abducted and missing NUP supporters were ‘ghosts’ and never existed. She falsely claimed that some next of kin were uncooperative and uninterested in pursuing their cases,” Kyagulanyi expressed.
On Thursday, NUP leaders hosted families of the missing individuals, reminding the nation of the circumstances surrounding their abduction and continued disappearance, spanning three to four years. The event also highlighted recent abductions and the pleas from family members for justice.
Following the press conference, the family members visited the UHRC head office. However, Wangadya refused to meet them and redirected them to the regional office in Naguru.
Undeterred, the families proceeded to the regional office, assuring the Commission of their continued pursuit of justice for their loved ones. Contrary to Wangadya’s claims, several of them even provided National IDs and other identification documents for their missing family members.
However, Wangadya stated that during their investigations, they contacted the listed individuals or their next of kin using the mobile contacts provided by NUP.
The contacted individuals revealed that those who were arrested had been released on police bond or court bail, she said.
The report indicated that several of the 12 persons were arrested by armed men, some of whom were believed to be Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) officers, and were initially detained at the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence headquarters before being taken to police stations and later presented before courts. Some of them even claimed to have been subjected to torture by security personnel.
However, Wangadya noted that only four out of the 12 individuals were willing to have their cases further investigated, as the majority declined to provide statements to the commission.
She added that those who refused to provide statements also requested the closure of their files. However, Wangadya could not explain the reasons behind their refusal to pursue further investigation. Furthermore, she mentioned that the NUP had previously reported cases of alleged torture of its supporters to the commission, but some of the complainants were uncooperative or changed their narratives, while others turned out to be victims of accidents.
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