Africa-Press – Uganda. As we wind up a year dominated by discussion and reports on human rights violations occasioned predominantly by the security forces including UPDF soldiers, police, LDUs and other non-uniformed personnel, it is sad to see that the trend set since the 2021 electoral campaigns has continued as we conclude 2021.
In spite of the many promises to handle public-security confrontations in a more human way, we still have reports of security personnel engaged in meting out what appears to be mob ‘justice’. The arrest of members of the Uganda Medical Association this week as they attempted a peaceful march to Parliament is a case in point. Why do we have a big deployment of gun-toting security personnel to deal with unarmed civilians engaged in non-violent civil action?
What is the motive for such high-handed action against citizens who are not in any way resisting arrest or even engaging in violence?
The State security agencies need to put their personnel through fresh training to teach them to respect human rights. The leaders need to revise their orders if the problem is that the orders are inconsiderate and excessive.
The law enforcement agencies show that there are accountability structures such as the Uganda Police Professional Standards Unit whose mandate is to handle the complaints from the general public regarding misconduct of police personnel.
However, units such as this one may have to start by being accountable themselves and regularly updating the public they purport to serve on the prosecutions if any, carried out.
Otherwise, the public will continue to be roughed up as a matter of routine and the security agencies will settle into a pattern of impunity that is unquestioned and unchallenged.
If the motive is to strike fear in the hearts of the ordinary citizen, then descending on them with the full might of the gun will certainly achieve that but if we still have any ambitions of community policing and working with the public to curb crime and disorder, then the current strategy of acting in excess is driving us far away from the objective and alienating the people that the security and law enforcement agencies exist to protect and serve.
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