What I said about human rights is different!

SIR— Your article “US ambassador hails human rights in Uganda” in The New Vision of March 13 was misleading. It seized on an observation by the Uganda Human Rights Commission chairperson, Mrs Margaret Sekaggya, indicating that human rights in Uganda had improved over the past years, to which I readily agreed.This seems to have led to a headline suggesting unequivocal praise for the human rights situation in Uganda. What I clearly stated is that the US government’s 2001 Human Rights Report for Uganda noted a number of continuing problems as well as some positive trends. The areas of concern are the police, military and security services, as well as significant disappointments over the conduct of elections.It also notes decisive steps taken to improve police performance, the vibrant media and the growth of independent radios. As I pointed out in my written and oral remarks, human rights trends are not easily measured on a yearly basis, since they are based on attitudes and practices that change over longer timeframes.It was also unfortunate that perhaps your column space didn’t permit full coverage of one of the points of encouragement I made: the passage of the 2000 leadership code as an important step in bringing transparency and reducing corruption. I am pleased, however, that The New Vision, as well as other representatives of the media, covered the presentation of the US 2001 Report on Human Rights practices in Uganda.Martin BrennanUS Ambassador