Amnesty International faults govt for preventive detention

Government continues to employ preventive detention and criminal charges to deter criticism from its opponents, the newly- released 2022 Amnesty International annual report indicates.

Released on March 27 by Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, the report shows that in 2022, Ugandan authorities continued to criminalize protests without legal basis.

The Constitution of Uganda spells out that every person has the freedom to assemble and to peacefully demonstrate with others and to petition the government.

The report highlights that between May 12 and May 23, 2022, police placed opposition leader Kizza Besigye under house arrest after he attempted a protest walk in Kampala against the high cost of living. On May 23, 2022, the police arrested and detained him for several hours after he left home to resume his protests in Kampala.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga reasoned at the time that they were preventing him from carrying out an offence.

“On May 30, 2022, police arrested MP Anna Adeke and deputy mayor of Kampala Doreen Nyanjura, alongside four women activists Wokuri Mudanda, Susan Nanyonjo, Mariam Kizito and Alice Amony, in Kampala, for protesting against Kizza Besigye’s detention and the rising cost of living,” the report indicates.

It further shows that they were charged with inciting violence and holding an illegal protest, and remanded at Kampala’s Luzira prison before being released on bail on June 7, 2022. The court at the Law Development Centre adjourned their cases at least four times before dropping all charges against them on December 5, 2022.

“Police ignored a court order made on January 4, 2022 to release Ugandan Kakwenza Rukirabashaija. He was arrested by Special Forces Command (SFS) officers without an arrest warrant and threatened with violence. He was detained in Kitalya prison in Kampala in connection with Twitter posts which the police claimed were intended to disturb the peace of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the first son,” reads the report.

Amnesty further highlighted that on March 10, 2022, security forces raided Digitalk TV offices in Kampala and arrested novelist Norman Tumuhimbise, journalist Farida Bikobere and seven other staff members in connection with Norman Tumuhimbise’s social media post about the launch of his two novels. They were held in incommunicado detention and on March 16, 2022, seven of them were released unconditionally.

Japhet Biegon, African Regional Advocacy Coordinator, Amnesty International, said it is a pity that Uganda has continued clamping down on civic space and right to freedom of expression, secession and assembly.

He said in a bid to curtail freedom of expression, on October 13, 2022, President Museveni signed into law the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022. It contains restrictive provisions relating to unauthorized access, interception, recording or sharing information or data, and imposes severe penalties such as fines of Shs 15 million (about $3,900) and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

On February28, President Museveni banned all land evictions carried out without the district security committees’ consent and hence giving the committees more powers to authorize evictions and thereby increasing the risk of forced evictions.

“Indigenous peoples are among those affected by the directive since it allows security organs increased powers to determine land disputes and may undermine the judiciary’s independence,” Amnesty International said.

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