Uganda grappled with significant human rights challenges. HRDs, civil society actors, and media personnel suffered assaults, violence, and intimidation.
Uganda grappled with significant human rights challenges. HRDs, civil society actors, and media personnel suffered assaults, violence, and intimidation. Critics covering sensitive topics, opposition figures, and protesters faced government intimidation tactics, including surveillance, harassment, and threats aimed at silencing dissenting voices and discouraging public demonstrations. In April 2024, the Constitutional Court of Uganda upheld most provisions of the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, including the death penalty in some cases, despite global criticism. While sections related to healthcare access and renting were invalidated, challenges to the law’s constitutionality were rejected. As a result, minority groups and HRDs addressing these issues persistently face unjust and arbitrary detentions. Furthermore, the government continued to crackdown on anti-fossil fuel activists and environmental defenders. Authorities detained journalists and curtailed freedom of expression.
The information is based on our latest bi-annual report that can be found under our reports .
In a joint submission prepared ahead of Uganda’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR), DefendDefenders, Human Rights Centre Uganda (HRCU), the National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders
Ocen Ivan Kenneth is a Program Director at Foundation for Development and Relief Africa (FIDRA), with more than 10 years’ experience working in the human rights field. Ivan’s ambitions for change focus on building inner peace, defending human rights and empowering local communities using theatre and storytelling. He creates a space where people from the community share their personal stories of trauma and resilience as well as identify mechanisms of healing.
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Arie Towers
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