HRCU WEEKLY UPDATE: ISSUE NO. 45 OF 2022
THE HUMAN RIGHTS
CENTRE UGANDA (HRCU)
WEEKLY UPDATE ON KEY
EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES WITHIN THE WORKING ENVIROMENT OF HRDS IN UGANDA
THE WEEK OF 5TH
TO 11TH DECEMBER 2022
Dear
reader,
Welcome to
this new week!
Please
receive and read through some of the key issues that emerged from last week
within the human rights and human rights defenders’ context in Uganda.
HRCU
welcomes back all HRDs and the general public from commemorations of both the
International Human Rights Defenders’ Day which occurred on Friday December 09,
2022 and the International Human Rights day which occurred on Saturday December
10, 2022. HRCU appreciates the National Coalition of Human Rights In Uganda for
organizing the commemorations of the International Human Rights Defenders’ Day
in Mbarara City with the highlight of planting of trees at Independence Park, which
reveals the passion that HRDs have towards environmental conservation. https://www.independent.co.ug/human-rights-defenders-want-government-to-expedite-protection-bill/
This
year’s national celebrations of the International Human Rights day were held
under the theme “Dignity, Freedom and
Justice for All”
HEALTH WATCH
GOVT
COMMISSIONS ANOTHER EBOLA TREATMENT CENTRE
The
Ministry of Health launched a new Ebola treatment and isolation centre at
Mulago hospital that was constructed by partner states and international
agencies such as Unicef and World Health Organisation (WHO).
According
to the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the semi-permanent facility
that was constructed at Mulago playground will help build resilience in the
fight against the outbreak of any infectious disease. Ms Aceng said whereas
there is a drop in the number of Ebola cases, there is a need to have standby
mechanisms.
The
new facility becomes the seventh Ebola treatment unit in the country, where
three are in Mubende, one in Kassanda, one in Entebbe and now two in Mulago,
all with a capacity of 356 beds. The facility has a capacity of 56 beds, and
intensive care units.
ENFORCED
DISAPPEARANCE: MINISTER OTAFIIRE ORDERS POLICE TO
PROBE NUP OVER 'FAKE' TORTURE VICTIMS
Internal
Affairs minister Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire last week ordered police to probe
leaders of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party for allegedly
parading fake torture victims at a UN human rights conference in Kenya last
month.
According
to Otafiire, some of the pictures that were paraded were victims of boda boda
accident crashes. The conference in Kenya was attended by some of Uganda's
opposition key figures including NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi
Wine, Dr Kizza Besigye and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) national
coordinator, Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu, former leader of opposition Winnie Kiiza
among others.
Kyagulanyi
in his speech indicated that the government was torturing citizens for
political reasons. He utilized the chance to parade some of the alleged victims
of gruesome acts by state agencies.
APPOINTING JUDGES IN
ACTING CAPACITY ILLEGAL - CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Appointing
judges in an acting capacity contravenes the 1995 constitution, the
Constitutional court ruled.
In
a 4:1 majority ruling, the court ruled in a favour of a petition filed by
Makerere University law don, Dr Busingye Kabumba and human rights activist
Andrew Karamagi. The justices have thus ordered that the Judicial Service
Commission (JSC) in the next six months regularizes the appointment of the 16
High court judges who were appointed on that basis.
In
May this year, acting on the advice of JSC, President Yoweri Museveni appointed
16 judges of the High court in an acting capacity for two years. Kabumba and
Karamagi rushed to court to challenge the appointment, saying it contravened
several articles of the constitution and should be overturned.
The
16 judges who were appointed in acting capacity include; Mary Ikat,
Douglas Singiza Karekona, Susan Kanyange, Samuel
Emokor, Flavia Matovu Nassuna, Patricia Kahingi Asiimwe, Bernard
Namanya, Thomas Ocaya Ojele Rubanga, Grace Harriet Magala, Collins Acellam,
Allan Paul Nshimye Mbabazi, Patricia Mutesi, Christine Kaahwa, George
Okello, Celia Nagawa, and Faridah Shamilah Bukirwa.
In
their petition filed in June, Kabumba and Karamagi told the court that the
appointment contravened the notion of security of tenure for
judicial officers and therefore undermined the provisions of articles 2,
128, 138, 142, 144, and 147 of the constitution.
UGANDA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TO
SEARCH FOR NUP SUPPORTERS
The Uganda Human Rights Commission
has begun a national wide search for the missing persons after receiving a list
25 people from National unity platform (NUP).
Speaking to the media ahead of the
international human rights day which takes place on 10th of December, the
director monitoring and inspection at the Commission Ruth Ssekindi said that
they will do an additional search for missing NUP supporters to see if they can
find more.
She
noted that previously they did a search and managed to find some but still
others were not accounted for. “We can’t do this alone that’s why we have
reached out to different stakeholders prisons, police , CMI to see whether they
can give an account of these people and then for us we shall check in different
prisons , police and security facilities to find out if we can see these
people.’’Ssekindi said.
However
one of the commissioners Crispin Kaheru cautioned those security agents who
arrest and detain people without following the due process of the law to stop
it immediately as they are invoking the prevention and prohibition of the
torture act to hold individual officers liable for their acts.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
1.
An
enforced disappearance according to the United Nations is considered to be the
arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by
agents of the State or by persons or groups of persons acting with the
authorization, support or acquiescence of the State. This act by its nature is
a violation of the enjoyment of non derogable rights and fundamental freedoms such
as the right to security and personal liberty. State institutions therefore
must ensure that they comply with the provisions of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance.
2.
As
the world observed the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2022, we
must all work together and ensure that human rights are protected, promoted and
realized. In addition, its noble that HRDs and the Government expedites the
passing of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Bill, 2020 to support the work
of HRDs in Uganda.
We thank you for reading and wish
you a happy new week.
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