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Amnesty International Report 2002 - Uganda

Covering events from January-December 2001

Republic of Uganda
Head of state: Yoweri Museveni
Head of government: Apollo Nsibambi
Capital: Kampala
Population: 24 million
Official language: English
Death penalty: retentionist

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Presidential and parliamentary elections were marred by violence, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention. Armed opposition groups continued to commit gross human rights abuses, including the abduction, maiming and killing of civilians. At least 23 people were sentenced to death; no one was executed.

Background

A Constitutional Review Commission was established in February to review the Constitution and issues of concern including freedom of association and the abolition of the death penalty.

Relations between Uganda and Rwanda continued to deteriorate throughout 2001. The two governments exchanged accusations of "harbouring terrorists" on their territory. Two Ugandan army officers were arrested on charges of treason, but were subsequently released. One fled to Rwanda and began recruiting others dissatisfied with the Ugandan government.

Uganda withdrew most of its troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in accordance with the 1999 Lusaka peace agreement. However, a small contingent of Ugandan troops remained in the border area and in some border towns. The government said that this was to prevent incursions by the rebels from the Allied Democratic Front, based in the DRC, into Uganda. (See Democratic Republic of the Congo entry.)

The 1999 Amnesty Act, which offers an amnesty to all rebel fighters who surrender, remained in force at the end of 2001. The Amnesty Commission, which oversees the implementation of the Act, opened an office in Gulu, a town in northern Uganda which had been the target of many attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an armed opposition group based in Sudan. Steps were taken to improve relations between Sudan and Uganda, as agreed after the signing of a bilateral peace agreement in 1999, and Uganda established a diplomatic presence in Sudan.

The debate on homosexuality continued throughout 2001, particularly in the media, and in May the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda banned the retired Bishop of West Buganda from preaching in any Anglican church in Uganda because of his support for the gay community in Uganda.

Elections

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in 2001. In March President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected for a second and final five-year term with over 69.3 per cent of the votes. Parliamentary elections were held in June under President Museveni's "Movement" system, which does not allow political parties to contest elections; individual candidates are required to stand on their own merits. The elections again returned a "Movement"-dominated government headed by President Museveni.

There were criticisms in relation to both elections as regards the process of voter registration and reports of intimidation, bribery and arbitrary arrests. In January, during the presidential election campaign, police used excessive force to break up a demonstration in a suburb of Kampala. The demonstrators were protesting against the disqualification of presidential candidate Nasser Sebaggala because of a lack of appropriate educational qualifications. The police beat and used tear gas against the demonstrators. A number of individuals were arbitrarily arrested and held for a short period of time.

Shortly after President Museveni's re-election was announced, four bombs exploded in and around Kampala. One bomb exploded in central Kampala, killing at least two people. A second bomb exploded on a road south of Kampala, injuring a number of people. The third and fourth bombs exploded on 16 March, killing one person and injuring several others. No group claimed responsibility for these attacks.

Candidates in both elections submitted petitions raising concerns of vote-rigging and allegations of intimidation and malpractice; the majority were dismissed by the courts.

Torture and arbitrary detention

There were reports that several opposition candidates in both the presidential and parliamentary elections and their supporters were harassed and arbitrarily detained.

• Former Major Okwir Rabwoni, a Member of Parliament (MP) and a leading campaign official for the main opposition presidential candidate, retired Colonel Kizza Besigye, was arrested on 20 February at Entebbe Airport. The military reportedly used excessive force in making the arrest, and Okwir Rabwoni was subsequently detained without charge at the military intelligence headquarters in Kampala for two days before being released.

Although the parliamentary elections were conducted in an atmosphere of relative calm, there were allegations of election-related violence, harassment and intimidation by state agents, particularly in the north and west of the country. Opposition candidates were reportedly harassed by state agents in Mbarara, Rukingiri and Gulu districts.

There were also reports from Ibanda North in Mbarara district indicating that soldiers from nearby barracks beat up voters on the eve of polling day.

Harassment of the opposition

Some outspoken opposition figures were systematically harassed during the year.

• Winnie Byanyima, MP for Mbarara Municipality and wife of presidential candidate retired Colonel Besigye, was detained by the police and charged with sedition in April. The charges related to remarks she had made that the Ugandan authorities were training militia to fight in Rwanda. She was released on bail shortly afterwards and was awaiting trial at the end of the year. In September she was briefly detained again and charged with unlawful possession of an unlicensed weapon. She was released on bail and was awaiting trial at the end of the year.
• Retired Colonel Kizza Besigye was subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by the security forces during and after the presidential election. For example, on 17 March he was prevented from travelling to South Africa by the military and on 20 March he was taken in for questioning by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, reportedly in connection with charges of sedition and treason. On 30 June he was briefly detained by police on the Masaka road while he was travelling to Rukingiri to attend the victory party of his wife, Winnie Byanyima. In September Kizza Besigye fled to the USA after expressing fears for his safety.

Abuses by armed opposition groups

Allied Democratic Front

Abuses committed by the Allied Democratic Front, based in the DRC, continued in western Uganda throughout 2001. These included the abduction, maiming and killing of civilians.

• On 17 March members of the Allied Democratic Front reportedly attacked Kasese town, western Uganda, and killed at least 10 people and wounded several others.

Lord's Resistance Army

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continued to commit abuses against the civilian population of northern Uganda, primarily in the districts of Gulu and Kitgum, during 2001. Despite ongoing talks between the government and junior officials of the LRA on a possible peace agreement, the LRA continued to abduct, maim and kill civilians. Children were among their victims. In accordance with the 1999 peace agreement between Uganda and Sudan, Ugandan children abducted by the LRA and held in LRA camps in Sudan continued to be returned and resettled in Uganda throughout 2001. At least 357 children escaped from the LRA or were repatriated from Sudan during 2001.