Activists arrested and MP slain as Ugandans protest insecurity

Association

On the evening of 8th June 2018, a Member of Parliament from the ruling party (the National Resistance Movement, NRM), Ibrahim Abiriga and his bodyguard were shot dead by two unknown assailants riding a motorcycle. It is unclear at the time of writing what prompted the murder, and no suspects have been identified. On 13th June, police arrested MP Betty Nambooze in connection with Abiriga’s murder, alleging that statements she made on social media may have prompted the assassination. She was detained at Naggalama police station but due to illness has been admitted to Kiruddu Referral Hospital where she has been guarded by police officers.

After the removal of a presidential age limit of 75 from the Constitution through an amendment in January 2018, Nambooze had allegedly made inciting remarks, insinuating that MPs who had supported the Bill would be punished by angry members of the public.

Peaceful Assembly

In early May 2018, Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo, shut down a civil society conference addressing the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS , saying it intended to promote “homosexuality and other dirty things.” On 17th May, the authorities cancelled planned celebrations for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia organised in a private office, in a move decried by human rights organisations.

The celebrations had been organised by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an umbrella non-governmental organisation based in Kampala, Uganda.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights said:

“We condemn this most recent move by the Ugandan government to impede [Sexual Minorities Uganda] SMUG's work, in violation of the government's international obligations to respect and uphold the rights to freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly. This is the latest in a string of police raids and government shut downs of LGBTI events in Uganda in recent years, and amid a general crackdown on all civil society in the country.”

The LGBTI community in Uganda faces major social and legal challenges. In 2013, the parliament of Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a piece of legislation which criminalizes acts of homosexuality, categorizing them as offences punishable by law.

Two men were arrested in Kampala, on 4th June after carrying a coffin to the Ugandan Parliament, protesting the lack of police investigation into a string of kidnapped and murdered women. Since February 2018, about 50 cases of kidnapping have been reported to the Ugandan police, a sharp increase from the 24 cases reported in the whole year in 2017. While some of them have been found to be staged cases intended to solicit money from unsuspecting people, most of the legitimate kidnap cases involve women and girls, causing nationwide concern. On 5^th June anti-riot police arrested several demonstrators, who were also protesting against the perceived lack of police response to the murders. They were meant to have a meeting with the Inspector General of Police to discuss these issues, but were blocked by anti-riot police from entering the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala. They were subsequently charged with unlawful assembly and released on bail. In a separate incident, protesters and mourners clashed with police on 10th July as the body of slain MP Ibrahim Abiriga was brought to Arua for funeral services. As tensions mounted, protesters briefly seized the casket and demanded justice and a thorough investigation.

On 12th June 2018, academic, blogger, and vocal government critic Stella Nyanzi was arrested for allegedly inciting violence and chaos. After being denied a scheduled meeting with the Deputy Inspector General of Police, she parked her car outside the Naguru Police Headquarters in Kampala, and played loud music. She had been a prominent activist among those protesting about the failure of police investigations into the unsolved kidnappings and murder of women.

As documented by the CIVICUS Monitor, Stella Nyanzi had previously been charged in March 2017 under the Computer Misuse Act based on her social media statements, including one where she referred to President Yoweri Museveni as “a pair of buttocks”. She denied any wrongdoing and was released on bail on 10th May 2017.

Expression

Four journalists were interrogated on 22nd May after being summoned to the Criminal Investigations Directorate Headquarters in Kibuli, Kampala, in relation to online articles regarding leaked bank transactions of a high-ranking Bank of Uganda official. Andrew Irumba (Spy Uganda), Bob Atwine (Spy Reports), Taddeo Ssenyonyi (Business Focus), and John Njoroge (CEO Magazine) were later released without charge.

HRNJ-Uganda National Coordinator Robert Ssempala stated:

“We are delighted that the journalists have been released without being charged, we however encourage the Police to work closely with journalists and to refrain from stifling the right to free speech and media. Being the mouth piece of society, journalists should be allowed to carry out their duty of informing the public without any threats of harassment or violation of their Constitutional rights” 

Three other journalists who also received summons did not appear, instead sending a letter through their lawyer demanding more time to prepare the necessary documentation.

In a significant blow to both internet freedom and freedom of expression online, on 30th May 2018 Parliament passed the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill (2018), which places a mandatory daily tax of 200 Ugandan Shillings (roughly US $0.05) on users of popular social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While this levy may seem small, it is worth noting that as of 2017, 27 percent of Ugandans live below the poverty line, subsisting on US $1.25 a day or less. These new taxes could render social media prohibitively expensive for poor and rural Ugandan citizens who are already disenfranchised from national events and politics. President Museveni pushed for the changes, claiming that social media encourages gossip. The law takes effect on 1st July 2018. However, following public protests, on 11^th July, Ugandan authorities stated that they would review their decision to impose this tax.

In early June, security officials banned radio stations from playing a song by popular Northern Ugandan musician Bosmic Otim, describing it as “misleading.” The strongly-worded song, Mac Onywalo Buru (Fire Produces Ash) is heavily critical of prominent politicians and MPs.