|
Uganda HUMAN RIGHTS
Uganda's human rights record deteriorated after Idi
Amin
seized power in 1971. By the end of the 1970s, it was one
of the
worst in the world. Several hundred thousand civilians
died at
the hands of local security forces. In 1986 Museveni
pledged to
improve Uganda's reputation for human rights. To achieve
this
goal, the NRM arrested and tried soldiers and civilians
for such
crimes, and the government worked to improve its
reputation for
respecting human rights.
In May 1986, NRM officials created a Commission of
Inquiry
into the Violation of Human Rights to investigate these
crimes
under all governments since independence until the day
before the
NRM seized power. The commission examined judicial and
other
records regarding arbitrary arrest and detention, torture,
and
executions. Its hearings began in December 1986, when an
investigation team and the commission's chief counsel,
Edward
Ssekandi, began selecting witnesses who would testify in
public
session. One of the most controversial witnesses, a former
NRA
political instructor, testified that political opponents
were
considered traitors.
A lack of resources hampered the commission's
performance.
Financial and transportation problems initially confined
its
activities to Kampala; later, these difficulties
temporarily
brought public hearings to an end. Although a February
1988 Ford
Foundation grant enabled the public hearings to resume,
the
commission's final report was unavailable in late 1990.
In 1987 the president also established the post of
inspector
general of government (IGG) to investigate individual
complaints
about human rights abuses committed since the NRM came to
power.
The inspector general answered only to the president and
had the
authority to seize documents, subpoena witnesses, and
question
civil servants as high ranking as cabinet ministers, with
presidential approval. Government officials had to
cooperate with
the IGG or face three-year prison terms or fines.
Budgetary
problems and staff shortages reduced the inspector
general's
effectiveness, and there were complaints during the
1988-90
period that his investigations were too slow and produced
no
results, despite lengthy testimony and evidence by
international
human rights groups and individual witnesses.
Several nongovernmental human rights organizations also
worked to improve conditions in Uganda. The UHRA, for
example,
has monitored developments in Uganda since the early 1980s
through its quarterly publications, The Activist.
Initially, UHRA's relations with the government were tense
after
the 1989 arrest of UHRA Secretary General Paulo Muwanga
for
comparing the NRM's human rights record to that of the
Amin
government. Muwanga was subsequently released, and a UHRA
report
in 1990 generally approved of Museveni's human rights
record.
The Uganda Law Society is one of the most vocal
advocates for
protection of human rights in Uganda. In 1990 a quarter of
the
country's 800 lawyers belonged to the Uganda Law Society.
Apart
from speaking out against human rights violations in
northern and
eastern Uganda, the Uganda Law Society has called for an
independent judiciary, an end to illegal arrests and
detentions,
legal reform, and constitutionalism. A lack of funds and
resources has hampered Uganda Law Society activities.
The Ugandan Association of Women Lawyers works to
inform
rural populations of their legal rights, promote family
stability
through legal advice and counseling, ensure equal
protection
under the law for women and children, and promote Ugandan
citizens' welfare by emphasizing laws that promote
economic
development. In March 1988, the association opened a legal
clinic
to help indigent Ugandans, especially women and children.
By
August 1990, the clinic had handled more than 1,000 cases
dealing
with property rights, inheritance, and a variety of family
and
business concerns.
To counter accusations of human rights abuse,
particularly in
northern and eastern Uganda, the government has punished
members
of the NRA convicted of assault or robbery against
civilians.
Several soldiers have been executed for murder or rape.
Military
officers even carried out some of these executions in the
area
where the crimes were committed, inviting local residents
to
witness the executions. Despite protests by several
international
organizations, these executions continued in 1990.
Uganda's
attorney general, George Kanyeihamba, justified the
practice,
insisting that strict discipline was necessary to maintain
order
in the military.
Despite these harsh measures, human rights violations
continued in parts of northern, eastern, and western
Uganda in
the late 1980s and early 1990s. In October 1987, for
example,
witnesses reported that soldiers killed 600 people in
Tororo
District during an NRA counterinsurgency operation. People
in the
southwest claimed that the security services killed a
number of
school children in antigovernment protests and that as
many as
200 villagers were shot for refusing to attend a political
rally.
Murders of people suspected of being rebel sympathizers
were also
reported.
In early 1989, Dr. H. Benjamin Obonyo, secretary
general of
the antigovernment Uganda People's Democratic Movement
(UPDM),
corroborated evidence of atrocities acquired by Amnesty
International and other human rights organizations. He
also
charged that the NRA had "burned or buried civilians
alive" in
regions of the north and east.
Throughout 1990, according to Amnesty International,
the NRA
killed a number of unarmed civilians in the districts of
Gulu,
Tororo, Kumi, and Soroti. Despite several government
inquiries,
Amnesty International claimed that no NRA personnel were
ever
charged with these human rights violations or brought to
trial.
Moreover, more than 1,300 people remained in detention
without
charge at the end of 1990. Government officials labeled
most of
these allegations "exaggerated," but it was clear that
they were
unable to eliminate abuses by the military forces and that
Uganda
would face mounting international protests engendered by
such
abuse.
* * *
Several comprehensive studies deal with the evolution
of
security issues in Uganda. The colonial era is covered in
H.
Moyse-Bartlett's The King's African Rifles and
Uganda, by H. Thomas and R. Scott. A.
Omara-Otunnu's
Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1890-1985 also
assesses the development of the security services. A.
Mazrui's
Soldiers and Kinsmen in Uganda provides insight
into the
military's role in society. Conflict Resolution in
Uganda,
edited by K. Rupesinghe, is a compilation of papers by
Ugandan
scholars presented at a 1987 conference in Kampala
concerning
Uganda's quest for peace and stability.
Uganda's tradition of an open and lively press was
being
revived in the late 1980s. New Vision,
Guide, and
numerous other local newspapers report and comment on
current
developments. Numerous government publications also
provide
valuable information on the history of the security
forces,
conditions of service, and the effects of political and
cultural
change on them. Uganda Journal is useful for
information
about the historical development of the security services.
For
more recent information on the Ugandan military, see
African
Defence Journal or the National Resistance Army's
journal,
The 6th of February. Preindependence information on
crime
and the criminal justice system is available in the
Annual
Reports of the Uganda Police Force and the Prison
Service.
(For further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of December 1990
|
