pressug.com News 24 7
Related Articles
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Ugandan government of intensifying its crackdown on political critics, alleging that President Yoweri Museveni and his son, also Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, have overseen arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention and politically motivated prosecutions aimed at silencing dissent.
In a report released this week, the international human rights organisation alleges that since mid-June 2026, security forces have unlawfully detained at least five critics of President Museveni and Muhoozi.
The report also accuses the military of surrounding the premises of Nation Media Group (NMG), prompting the country’s largest independent media company to suspend its operations following what HRW described as critical reporting about the government.
HRW deputy Africa Director Carine Kaneza Nantulya said the government was increasingly relying on the military to suppress dissent rather than uphold constitutional rights.
“President Museveni’s government is increasingly using the military as a cudgel against dissent and criticism,” she said.
“They should stop using security forces to take out critics and instead respect Uganda’s Constitution and Ugandans’ rights, security, and due process.”
Among the cases highlighted in the report is that of former Kampala Lord Mayor and People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) president Erias Lukwago. HRW alleges that Lukwago was seized by armed soldiers from his home in Kampala on June 15 and held incommunicado for two days before being handed over to police and charged with treason-related offences linked to the case involving opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye.
According to the report, Lukwago had been preparing to serve legal summons on Muhoozi in a civil suit at the time of his arrest The report also refers to social media posts by Muhoozi in which he appeared to acknowledge Lukwago’s detention, including one post containing a photograph allegedly showing the lawyer blindfolded.
Lukwago’s family has alleged that he was assaulted while in military custody. Human Rights Watch also expressed concern over the deportation of Kenyan lawyer and former Justice minister Martha Karua, who was denied entry into Uganda on June 22 after travelling to observe Lukwago’s court proceedings.
The report further cites the arrest of veteran activist Miria Matembe, who was allegedly detained for two days before being charged with promoting sectarianism, an offence HRW says has frequently been used against government critics.
According to the organisation, her arrest followed comments she made during a YouTube interview criticising Lukwago’s detention. Journalist Timothy Kalyegira is also named in the report.
HRW alleges that he was detained by soldiers before being charged with operating digital news platforms without a licence and later released on bail.
The organisation also cites the re-arrest of National Unity Platform deputy president for Buganda Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, alleging that he was seized by armed personnel near Kampala while out on bail over terrorism-related charges.
Another case highlighted is that of opposition supporter Andrew Nabimanya, whom HRW alleges was held for five days in an undisclosed military facility, stripped, photographed, had blood samples taken and was warned against publishing anti-government content before being charged with offences relating to the disclosure of official information and personal data.
Beyond the individual arrests, HRW says the government has intensified restrictions on civic space by deploying security personnel around Nation Media Group’s premises since late June and by indefinitely suspending at least 10 non-governmental organisations, including human rights, media and election-monitoring groups.
The organisation also criticises the recently enacted Protection of Sovereignty Act, arguing that it grants authorities broad powers to regulate foreign funding and could further restrict the operations of civil society organisations.
According to HRW, Uganda’s Constitution and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act limit the circumstances under which the military may arrest civilians, and the organisation argues that the recent arrests fall outside those legal provisions.
The report further states that Uganda’s obligations under international human rights treaties prohibit arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and politically motivated prosecutions.
HRW says it has documented similar abuses by Ugandan security agencies over many years and notes that there is no public evidence that officials implicated in previous violations have been held accountable despite President Museveni’s 2022 pledge to address unlawful detentions.
The organisation has called on the Ugandan government to end what it describes as a crackdown on independent media, civil society organisations and political critics, and to investigate and prosecute those responsible for alleged human rights violations.
Ugandan authorities had not publicly responded to the Human Rights Watch report by the time of publication.
Related
, https://observer.ug/news/human-rights-watch-criticises-museveni-muhoozi-over-state-abductions-and-crackdown-on-critics/
