{"id":62143,"date":"2023-12-09T17:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T17:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=62143"},"modified":"2023-12-09T16:28:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T16:28:38","slug":"us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture","title":{"rendered":"US sanctions prisons boss Byabashaija over torture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>The United States Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Uganda\u2019s Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija over allegations of torture in the country\u2019s correctional facilities.<\/b><\/p>\n

In a December 8 statement, the US says since 2005 when Byabashaija was appointed as prisons boss, members of the Uganda Prisons Service have engaged in torture and other serious human rights abuse against prisoners held within UPS facilities.<\/p>\n

READ:<\/b> \u2018I saw inmates tortured to death\u2019<\/p>\n

Ex-inmate accuses officers of torture<\/p>\n

Prisons medical report reveals Kakwenza was tortured<\/p>\n

\u201cPrisoners have reported being tortured and beaten by Uganda Prisons Service staff and by fellow prisoners at the direction of UPS staff. Members of vulnerable groups, including government critics and members of Uganda\u2019s LGBTQI+ community, have been beaten and held without access to legal counsel; for example, in a 2020 case, the UPS denied a group of LGBTQI+ persons access to their lawyers and members of the group reportedly endured physical abuse, including a forced anal examination and scalding,\u201d the Friday evening statement reads in part.<\/p>\n

READ:<\/b> Starving prisoners is a clear violation of human rights<\/p>\n

Prison warder tortured over prisoner\u2019s escape<\/p>\n

Uganda\u2019s hatchet men: The anatomy of torture<\/p>\n

Byabashaija is being designated for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to the leader\u2019s or official\u2019s tenure pursuant to E.O. 13818.<\/p>\n

Byabashaija was sanctioned alongside 19 other people for their connection to human rights abuse in nine countries.<\/p>\n

Two more people were sanctioned under the Department of State\u2019s counterterrorism authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, the Department of State likewise designated individuals in Russia, Indonesia, and the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) for visa restrictions pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Annual Appropriations Act. These actions are taken in concert with measures imposed by partners in the United Kingdom and Canada, which have similarly utilized economic measures to deter human rights abuse globally. We stand with our partners in upholding international ideals,\u201d the statement adds.<\/p>\n

READ:<\/b> Tales of torture and death in Uganda\u2019s torture centres<\/p>\n

Prisons refute starvation claims by Susan Magara murder suspects<\/p>\n

Shock figures reveal crisis state of prisons<\/p>\n

The development comes days after the Department of State announced a visa restriction policy on Ugandans, particularly government officials who are believed to be behind the human rights violations and repression of marginalised groups in the country.<\/p>\n

According to the December 4, 2023 press statement issued by the US Secretary of State, Mr Anthony Blinken, the sanctions is an expansion of the 2021 similar restrictions targeting those undermining the democratic process in Uganda.<\/p>\n

Mr Blinken implored the Ugandan government to improve its record and hold accountable those responsible for flawed electoral processes, violence, and intimidation.<\/p>\n

Among others, Mr Blinken revealed that environmental activists, human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQI+ persons, and civil society organizers have continued to enjoy a shrinking democratic arena under the threats and repressions by some Ugandan officials.<\/p>\n

The immediate family members of persons affected by the travel restrictions may also be subject to these visa exclusions, according to the US press statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States stands by the Ugandan people and remains committed to working together to advance democracy, human rights, public health, and mutual prosperity. I once again strongly encourage the Government of Uganda to make concerted efforts to uphold democracy and to respect and protect human rights so that we may sustain the decades-long partnership between our countries that has benefited Americans and Ugandans alike,\u201d Mr Blinken emphasised.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time for the US to issue travel bans or announce sanctions against a targeted group of Ugandan officials over undermining democratic processes in the country.<\/p>\n

Months after the 2021 general election, without naming the said officials, the US issued similar travel bans on those who were said to be behind the gross human atrocities committed during the election periods.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. The United States Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Uganda\u2019s Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija over allegations of torture in the country\u2019s correctional facilities. In a December 8 statement, the US says since 2005 when Byabashaija was appointed as prisons boss, members of the Uganda Prisons Service have engaged in torture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":62142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[233,240,234],"class_list":["post-62143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-uganda","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nUS sanctions prisons boss Byabashaija over torture - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The United States Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Uganda\u2019s Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabash ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US sanctions prisons boss Byabashaija over torture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United States Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Uganda\u2019s Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabash ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-09T17:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2023\/12\/sm_1702126367.572694.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"US sanctions prisons boss Byabashaija over torture\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-09T17:00:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\"},\"wordCount\":676,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2023\/12\/sm_1702126367.572694.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Uganda\",\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/us-sanctions-prisons-boss-byabashaija-over-torture\",\"name\":\"US sanctions prisons boss Byabashaija over torture - 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