By Spy Uganda
Kampala: On top of various previous warnings, the United States of America has issued yet another strong warning against Ugandan leadership over ‘deteriorating’ Human Rights and press freedoms. Yesterday, just minutes after the release of human rights defender Nicholas Opio from jail, US condemned his arrest and said the move meant to threaten other human rights defenders.
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The Donald Trump led administration said releasing on bail Nicholas Opiyo was not enough, but the government should know that civil society actors and human rights defenders play a vital role in educating the citizenry and must be allowed to carry out their work free from harassment.
We welcome today's release on bail of @NickOpiyo. Civil society actors and human rights defenders play a vital role in educating the citizenry and must be allowed to carry out their work free from harassment. There will be consequences for those who undermine democracy.
— U.S. Mission Uganda (@usmissionuganda) December 30, 2020
To deeply express its grievance towards endless human rights violations in Uganda, the furious US warned that time will come when whoever participated in acts against humanity will face harsh consequences for undermining democracy.
In the same vein, the US warned against continuous state security operatives’ brutal attacks against journalists and the media at large.
Today’s disproportionate deployment of force, seizure of a political party leader, group detentions, and harassment of journalists are not the sign of security forces who care about democracy and the future of the Ugandan people.
— U.S. Mission Uganda (@usmissionuganda) December 30, 2020
It warned that yesterday’s disproportionate deployment of force, seizure of a political party leader, group detentions, and harassment of journalists while covering Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaigns in Kalangala is not a sign of security forces who care about democracy and the future of the Ugandan people.
The development comes few days after UN Human Rights experts expressed serious concerns about the violence ahead of Uganda’s presidential elections and urged authorities to put an end to the arrest, detention, and judicial harassment of political opponents, civil society leaders, and human rights defenders with immediate effect.
“We are gravely concerned by the election-related violence, the excessive use of force by security personnel, as well as the increasing crackdown on peaceful protesters, political and civil society leaders and human rights defenders,” said the experts.
Experts added, “since the publication of the guidelines on the conduct of elections during COVID-19 in June by the Uganda Electoral Commission, we have witnessed gradual shrinking of civic space, and misuse and abuse of health-related restrictions to curb dissent in the country ahead of the election on 14 January. Time and again, we have emphasized that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic should not be used as a pretext to infringe on fundamental freedoms.”
