Ugandans should know their rights

Oct 22, 2002

AT long last the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament has started holding oversight hearings over the annual reports of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) cataloguing some of the human rights abuses committed against citizens in

Midweek opinion
With John Kakande

AT long last the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament has started holding oversight hearings over the annual reports of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) cataloguing some of the human rights abuses committed against citizens in the country.

Parliament must take steps to put human rights on the national agenda. All these years they have not debated the Commission’s three important annual reports for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The Commission, a Constitutional body, is charged with the responsibility of recommending to Parliament “effective measures to promote human rights.” It is required to submit annual reports to Parliament on the state of human rights and freedoms.

The UHRC has religiously discharged its responsibility of submitting annual reports to the Parliament. The reports clearly show that human rights violations exist at a significant scale. The violations include illegal arrests and detentions by Police, torture of suspects, serious congestion in prisons and delay of trials. There are also weighty human rights challenges relating to the insurgency in the north.

The Movement government rose to power on a platform of human rights. Indeed, there has been some progress. But there are still worrisome rights abuses, particularly by the security agencies. The 2000 report affirmed that the Police, the army, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) featured high on list of perpetrators of abuses.

The reports reveal shocking abuses in prisons. In one instance in Lira Prison, two female inmates were stripped naked, soaked in a drum of water and paraded before their colleagues. They were made to stoop so that their colleagues would have a better view of their private parts.

What is disheartening is that security agencies, which are supposed to enforce the laws, are themselves routinely trampling on rights of citizens with impunity. The Police, for instance, have obstinately refused to respect Article 23 (4b) of the Constitution that requires any person arrested to be taken to court “not later than 48 hours from the time of his or her arrest.” Some suspects spend months or even a year in Police cells without being charged.

One of the reasons rights abuses in Uganda have continued routinely is because a big number of Ugandans submit to injustice without a fight. Suspects are tortured and illegally detained for months and they do not seek any redress.

Ignorance is also a big obstacle to evolving a free society. Many Ugandans do not know their rights.

They therefore believe, for instance, that security agencies have a right to do anything under the sky.

Ugandans must to be prepared to fight for their fundamental rights and freedoms. There is a price.

Human rights activists and organisations should intensify campaign to make Ugandans know their rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

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