US government report slams Uganda for "mistreating Bobi Wine"
The US government has decried the high level of political intolerance in Uganda noting that there is still widespread harassment of opposition leaders.
In a report that assessed the human rights situation in Uganda in 2019, the US state department said authorities detained numerous opposition politicians and activists notably Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, Dr Kizza Besigye and Dr Stella Nyanzi, a researcher at Makerere University (Here is the full report http:https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/uganda//)
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"On April 29, the UPF arrested Kyagulanyi on charges of holding an illegal assembly in relation to a 2018 protest he held in Kampala against a proposed tax. The court remanded Kyagulanyi later that day until May 2, when it released him on bail upon condition that he not participate in “unlawful assemblies.”
The report notes that some of the activists had been slapped with frivolous charges such as annoying the president.
The US government also noted that government published guidelines that banned the public from wearing red berets, saying that the berets would henceforth be considered a military uniform and therefore the exclusive property of the state.
"Red berets had been the symbol worn by supporters of Kyagulanyi’s People Power movement. On October 1, Kyagulanyi reported that the UPF and UPDF had started arresting People Power supporters whom they found wearing the red berets. The Uganda Police Force on numerous occasions also confiscated People Power movement insignia, especially red berets and T-shirts with pro-Kyagulanyi messages. On August 13, the UPF raided the Democratic Party’s (DP) offices, arrested four supporters, and confiscated 300 T-shirts with pro-Kyagulanyi messages commemorating the one-year anniversary of Kyagulanyi’s arrest and torture. The UPF said the T-shirts bore messages inciting violence. The UPF released the four DP supporters later that day and said it only called them in for interrogation," notes part of the report.
The report also highlights the fact that government restricted musical performances of Bobi Wine allegedly because his previous concerts fell short of security guidelines, easily “turned into a public nuisance, violated traffic rules and regulations and caused other misconducts.”
