By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Last week the United Nations Committee on Human Rights against Torture released a report pinning the government of Uganda and other countries insisting that torture is widespread in Uganda.
This followed the UN Committee Experts at the beginning of this month to summon the State’s human rights institutions and questioned them about unauthorized places of detention (safehouses) and inaction in prosecuting several torture cases.
UN concerns
The Committee’s concern was the report that revealed that torture and ill-treatment continued to be frequently practiced in Uganda and that reports indicated excessive use of force within the context of Covid-19 emergency measures.
Another concern is the reported non-implementation of the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Regulations of 2017 by security agencies, including the Uganda Police Force. And that the victims have limited access to justice due to prosecutors and judges lacking sufficient evidence to prosecute cases of torture.
UN inquiries
According to Abderrazak Rouwane, Country Co-Rapporteur for Uganda and Committee Expert there were several reports that accused the Ugandan government of detaining people in unauthorized places.
In 2019, it was alleged that Internal Security Organization officials arbitrarily abducted 400 people and detained them in unknown places. The detainees included persons accused of spying, collusion, and dissent against the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
UN findings
The Committee Expert noted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had reportedly taken no action to prosecute several cases of torture brought before it, including the alleged torture of an opposition member of Parliament.
Uganda tasked
The Committee tasked Uganda to explain what measures did the government take to prevent unlawful detention in unauthorized places of detention, what efforts did the government put in to ensure the prosecution of officials involved, and grant access to adequate remedies to victims?
The Committee experts also questioned Uganda on whether the Police Force effectively documents cases of torture, How did the State intend to reinforce awareness-raising, capacity building, and training of all criminal justice actors on the Protection and Prohibition of Torture Act and Regulations.
Uganda’s defense
The Attorney General of Uganda Kiryowa Kiwanuka refuted the UN reports by explaining that the Ugandan government did not run any ungazetted places of detention or safehouses. He added that the unauthorized places of detention were run by individuals who were not affiliated by the government. And that all the Ugandans who were arrested are kept in official detention centers.
Kiwanuka also asserted that the government of Uganda he’s serving invest in training the security agencies in human rights, and in adhering to the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act.
Opposition complaint book for victims of human rights violation
In February this year, Ugandan opposition legislators launched a complaints book for constituents to register cases of missing persons, torture, and other acts of human rights abuses. The complaints book was to be distributed to different constituencies across the country so that Ugandans can record arrests, missing persons, and cases of torture to ensure accountability but also follow up on the cases of the different people who were abducted and detained in unauthorized detentions.
The launch happened a week after the opposition stormed out of the parliament over the continued torture and arrest of some Ugandans. They cited the arrest of two legislators who are still in prison to date.
Names of the victims presented to the parliament
In May 2022, the leader of the opposition Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, during plenary sitting, presented names and contacts of the persons reported missing and asked the government to at least declare them dead and avail their remains or to produce them to the courts of law.
The speaker summons Prime, Ministers over human rights abuses
In September, Deputy Speaker Hon Thomas Tayebwa, summoned the Prime Minister and the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in the house to clarify the allegations of human rights abuses in the country.
The opposition argued that even though they presented all the evidence of human rights violations to parliament the minister responsible for Security and Internal Affairs did not respond to their concerns despite orders by the House to do so. Failure by the government to take action against human rights violations taints the image of Parliament according to DP Speaker Tayebwa.
Demand for release of arrested Ugandans
This week Ugandan opposition politicians and rights groups tasked the government to release opposition party Joseph Kabuleta who heads the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue Party and was arrested on Monday by plain-clothed security forces.
Also on Monday, Muslim cleric Yahya Mwanje was picked in an unmarked van (drone) from a mosque in Kampala and taken to an unknown location.
The opposition continues to accuse Ugandan authorities of torturing dissenters and holding people incommunicado. On Tuesday this week, one member of parliament Francis Zaake was sent to a disciplinary committee for causing chaos in Parliament after Deputy Speaker Tayebwa denied him a chance to discuss the issues of missing persons and human rights abuses.
The opposition tasked the government to account for those who are said to be missing and address the issue immediately.
The UN instructions
The Committee urged the Ugandan government to abolish the use of unauthorized places of detention (safehouses) and immediately provide information about all places of detention. They also tasked Uganda to conduct investigations and prosecute officials involved in arbitrary detention and unauthorized detention places and ensure that victims had access to adequate remedies.
The UN Committee urged the State, inter alia, to ensure that all complaints of torture were promptly investigated by an independent body.
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