Amnesty International is urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to do something about the country’s deteriorating human rights record.
Amnesty identified the current restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as a priority for human rights change in Uganda.
The blanket ban against all forms of public assemblies and demonstrations that has been in force since the conclusion of the February 2011 general elections must be immediately lifted. Walk to Work protests which began on April 11 have been marred by the use of excessive force by security forces, including the use of firearms against crowds which were not posing an imminent threat of death or serious injury, killing at least ten people and injuring dozens more.
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Another area of serious concern for Amnesty International is discrimination against people based on their perceived or actual sexual orientation. In previous years, including 2010, certain sections of the Ugandan media fuelled homophobia by printing the names and photos of people they thought or perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender along with messages inciting violence against them.
As a result a number of persons were targeted with violence, intimidation and harassment within their homes and communities. Amnesty International continues to document instances of arbitrary arrests, detention, torture and other ill treatment of lesbian, gay and bisexual and transgender people in Uganda.
“These human rights violations have been committed on the pretext of enforcing existing provisions of the Uganda penal code. The government has done little to prevent it and in some cases has fuelled these attacks,” said Michelle Kagari.
“The new government must publicly condemn and take measures to put an end to this discrimination, as well as the threats and violence to persons because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.”
Does anyone know whether the Church of Uganda has criticized human rights violations by the Ugandan government.