As many as 24 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have petitioned the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell to impose sanctions against some top officials in President Yoweri Museveni’s government over the continued illegal detentions of National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters.
According to online news website-The Pearl Times, the MEPs, including Nicolae Ștefănuță from Romania, want sanctions against individual security and government officials engaged in human rights violations.
Ștefănuță and his colleagues want Borrell, who doubles as the EU Commission Vice President, to “take action regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda.”
“Sanctions for all responsible for human rights violations should be imposed under the new EU Magnitsky Act.”
This is not the first time the MEPs are calling for sanctions.
In February 2021, they passed a resolution condemning Museveni’s government over alleged human rights violations.
Museveni hit back, by telling off the EU delegation in Uganda to keep away from Ugandan affairs.
MEPs call comes at a time when there are over 100 NUP supporters who are still in jail facing charges related to incitement of violence, participating in acts likely to lead to the spread of Covid-19 among others.
Last month, the Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, told Parliament that many of the alleged missing persons in the country could be in hiding for fear of being arrested in relation to 2020/21 election violence.
Gen. Odongo said of the 423 persons listed by Masaka Municipality MP, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga as missing, only 58 have been released or are on remand, with the other 365 not being verified because the list did not indicate time and location of arrest.
“Towards the election day and after elections, more people were arrested for election related offences. These have either been charged in court or remanded, or are still held by security agencies to assist in investigations,” said the Minister.
The Minister said this while presenting a list of individuals arrested since 18 November 2020 to date, where 175 out 269 cases involving riotous situation in the country registered were taken to court, four have been concluded by the Resident State Attorney and 90 are still under inquiry.
He presented the list during a plenary sitting 15 April 2021.
“Of the 1035 suspects arrested, 901 have been charged in court including Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi, 734 have been remanded, 167 have been released on bail, 113 have been released on police bond including Hon. Patrick Oboi Amuriat, 21 have been cleared and released by police,” Odongo said.
He further told Parliament that 51 of the suspects had been convicted and sentenced to community service, caution and imprisonment, whereas 54 persons died including a victim of a car accident.
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