Human rights in Uganda
Encyclopedia
Uganda
continues to experience difficulty in advancing respect for human rights
in matters concerning torture
, child labor
, and liberties. There are as many as thirteen 'security' organizations of the Museveni government, some directly answerable to the President and not constitutionally based and established by Act of Parliament. These organisations persecute opponents of the government, carry out abductions, disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture and act both independently, interdependently with each other, and in cooperation with the Ugandan Police.
These organisations also harass the free media and official parliamentary opposition.
(UPDF) and the Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) has decimated the economy, retarded the development of affected areas and led to numerous gross human rights violations. Since the various rebel groups started fighting the government of president Yoweri Museveni, beginning in August 1986, about 2 million Ugandans have been displaced and tens of thousands have been killed. An estimated 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA for use as child soldiers and slaves since 1987. To avoid abduction, thousands of children leave their villages every night to hide in forests, hospitals, and churches. In the bloodiest incident in the history of the conflict, more than 330 civilians were killed by the LRA in Barlonyo internally displaced person
's camp in February 2004.
Government agencies accused of torture include the UPDF's Chieftancy of Military Intelligence (CMI), the Internal Security Organisation
(ISO), the Violent Crime Crack Unit
(VCCU) and ad hoc agencies such as the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force
(JATF.) In October the Uganda Human Rights Commission
(UHRC), which only receives complaints for a small fraction of actual human rights violations, found that torture continued to be a widespread practice amongst security organizations in Uganda.
, the movement believed to pose the greatest threat to the reelection of President Yoweri Museveni
in 2006.
in Uganda.
In late 2002, the independent Monitor
newspaper was temporarily closed by the army and police. Journalists from the paper continued to come under attack in 2004, two of whom were publicly denounced as "rebel collaborators" by a spokesman for the UPDF.
In February 2004, the Supreme Court ruled the offence of "publication of false news" to be void and unconstitutional.http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR590022004?open&of=ENG-UGA
Uganda's press is rated as 'partly free' by Freedom House
, an independent monitor of press freedom worldwide.
In 2005, Uganda was rated as the 13th most free press of 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/pressurvey/regionaltables2005.pdf In 2010, Uganda was rated the 15th most free press of 48 countries.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
continues to experience difficulty in advancing respect for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in matters concerning torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
, and liberties. There are as many as thirteen 'security' organizations of the Museveni government, some directly answerable to the President and not constitutionally based and established by Act of Parliament. These organisations persecute opponents of the government, carry out abductions, disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture and act both independently, interdependently with each other, and in cooperation with the Ugandan Police.
These organisations also harass the free media and official parliamentary opposition.
Conflict in the North
The conflict in the north of the country between the Uganda People's Defence ForceUganda People's Defence Force
The Uganda Peoples Defence Force , previously the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates the UPDF has a total strength of 40–45,000, and consists of land forces and an Air Wing.The IISS Military Balance 2007 says there...
(UPDF) and the Lord's Resistance Army
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(LRA) has decimated the economy, retarded the development of affected areas and led to numerous gross human rights violations. Since the various rebel groups started fighting the government of president Yoweri Museveni, beginning in August 1986, about 2 million Ugandans have been displaced and tens of thousands have been killed. An estimated 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA for use as child soldiers and slaves since 1987. To avoid abduction, thousands of children leave their villages every night to hide in forests, hospitals, and churches. In the bloodiest incident in the history of the conflict, more than 330 civilians were killed by the LRA in Barlonyo internally displaced person
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
's camp in February 2004.
Persecution of homosexuals
In October 2009, a bill was tabled in the Ugandan Parliament entitled "Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009" calling for harsher penalties for homosexuals, up to and including the death penalty. This law also requires that any citizen who suspects another person of being homosexual, is required to report the homosexual to police, or they too may receive a fine or time in prison. The proposed bill goes so far as to forbid landlords from renting to a known homosexual, and would ban any public discussion of homosexuality.Abuses by Ugandan security forces
Ugandan security agencies have been implicated in torture and illegal detention of suspects, including suspected LRA rebels and their sympathisers. Methods of torture include suspending suspects tied 'kandoya' (tying hands and feet behind the victim) from the ceiling, severe beating and kicking, and attaching electric wires to the male genitals.- On 14 June [2003] [Violent Crime Crack Unit Green] officers arrested Nsangi Murisidi, aged 29, on suspicion that he had facilitated friends to commit robbery and for alleged possession of a gun. Relatives tried in vain to visit him in detention. On 18 June the lawyer representing the family received confirmation of his death in custody while at the VCCU headquarters at Kireka, a suburb of Kampala. The death certificate established the cause of death as extensive loss of fluid and blood, severe bleeding in the brain and extensive deep burns on the buttocks. The body also bore 14 deep wounds. In October the Minister of Internal Affairs informed AI that an inquiry had been ordered, but no progress was subsequently reported. Source: Amnesty International Annual Report 2004
Government agencies accused of torture include the UPDF's Chieftancy of Military Intelligence (CMI), the Internal Security Organisation
Internal Security Organisation
The Internal Security Organisation is the Uganda government's counter intelligence agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to Uganda's policy makers.It also engages in covert activities at the request of the President of the Uganda.Founded in 1986, The organisation took...
(ISO), the Violent Crime Crack Unit
Violent Crime Crack Unit of Uganda
The Violent Crime Crack Unit is a security agency of the government of Uganda. Originally a military unit codenamed "Operation Wembley", it was put under police control and renamed, amid charges of human rights abuses....
(VCCU) and ad hoc agencies such as the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force
Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force of Uganda
The Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force is a security agency of the Government of Uganda. The Museveni administration created the JATF through the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002....
(JATF.) In October the Uganda Human Rights Commission
Uganda Human Rights Commission
The Uganda Human Rights Commission serves to monitor and advance human rights in Uganda.The UHRC is a body established under the 1995 Constitution Article 51 under the Bill of Rights found in Chapter four of the Constitution. It is based on the Paris Principles which are the guidelines for the...
(UHRC), which only receives complaints for a small fraction of actual human rights violations, found that torture continued to be a widespread practice amongst security organizations in Uganda.
Political freedom
In April 2005, two opposition Member of Parliament were arrested on what are believed to be politically motivated charges.http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/4261707c6d43856f29fa691a32ab4652.htm Ronald Reagan Okumu and Michael Nyeko Ocula are from the Forum for Democratic ChangeForum for Democratic Change
The Forum for Democratic Change , founded on December 16, 2004, is the main opposition party in Uganda. FDC was founded as an umbrella body mostly for disenchanted former members and followers President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement...
, the movement believed to pose the greatest threat to the reelection of President Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
in 2006.
Freedom of the press
As in many African countries, government agencies continue to impinge on the freedom of the pressFreedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
in Uganda.
In late 2002, the independent Monitor
The Monitor (Uganda)
The Daily Monitor is Uganda’s leading independent daily newspaper. The "Monitor" name is shared by the Saturday Monitor and Sunday Monitor, which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. It has an online readership of over 1,000,000.The newspaper was established in 1992 as The Monitor...
newspaper was temporarily closed by the army and police. Journalists from the paper continued to come under attack in 2004, two of whom were publicly denounced as "rebel collaborators" by a spokesman for the UPDF.
In February 2004, the Supreme Court ruled the offence of "publication of false news" to be void and unconstitutional.http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR590022004?open&of=ENG-UGA
Uganda's press is rated as 'partly free' by Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
, an independent monitor of press freedom worldwide.
In 2005, Uganda was rated as the 13th most free press of 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/pressurvey/regionaltables2005.pdf In 2010, Uganda was rated the 15th most free press of 48 countries.
External links
- Freedom in the World 2011: UgandaFreedom HouseFreedom HouseFreedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
- Freedom of the Press 2010: Uganda Freedom HouseFreedom HouseFreedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
- Uganda Human Rights Overview, Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
- Amnesty International's 2011 Annual Report on Uganda
- http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/44/Freedom of Expression in Uganda: IFEXInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
] - Midnight's Children Testimony of Abducted Ugandan Children
- When the Sun Sets We Start to Worry UN-collected accounts of brutality
- Refugee Law Project "Part advocacy group, part research institution, part legal aid clinic, part trainer and educator", a leading Ugandan organisation working with refugees and the conflict in the North
- Ugandan lawyers to strike over treason suspects November 22, 2005