The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has called upon security agencies to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals who were illegally arrested and have not yet been charged with any offence.
In a statement, Bernard Oundo, president of the ULS, urged the Uganda Police Force to respect the rights and freedoms of all Ugandans and to perform its duty of maintaining law and order.
He emphasised that when making arrests, the police are only mandated to use reasonable force and act on reasonable suspicion of an offence.
“We call upon members of the society to continuously offer pro bono services to all citizens whenever the opportunity presents, and urge all relevant stakeholders to uphold and defend all the rights enshrined in our constitution to fulfill the principles of democracy and the rule of law,” said Oundo.
He expressed deep concern regarding yesterday's events related to the youth protest dubbed the Anti-Corruption March to Parliament.
“We have observed security agencies arresting individuals who were peacefully demonstrating against rampant corruption in the country. These scenes depicted security officers preventing people from exercising their right to hold their leaders accountable through peaceful protests," he said.
"Notably, there have been no reports of violent protesters from any security or state agencies."
Oundo highlighted the ULS's statutory duty to promote human rights, uphold the rule of law, and assist the public and government in legal matters.
The society found it imperative to intervene in line with its statutory mandate. As a result, they guided the young people on conducting peaceful demonstrations, negotiated the release of some arrested suspects at the police, and offered pro bono legal representation for all suspects charged with offences arising from the protests.
Oundo condemned the arrest and detention of individuals who were peacefully exercising their right to public assembly and peaceful demonstration.
“ULS will continue to monitor these cases to ensure that the constitutional rights of suspects are respected. We remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting the rule of law, human rights, and good governance in Uganda,” he said.
On Tuesday,several young people attempting to march to Parliament were arrested in Kampala as anti-corruption activists began their demonstration.
While business continued as usual in most parts of the city, some protesters carried placards as they started their march to the August House.
However, a joint team of the military and police intervened, arresting numerous individuals, including former Rubaga South MP candidate and activist Habib Buwembo and comedian Samuel Okanya, alias Sammy, among others.
The protesters have put forward several demands, including the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and the four backbench commissioners, a reduction in the number of Ugandan MPs, and an audit into MPs' lifestyles.
They are also calling for the resignation of any MPs involved in corruption scandals and a reduction in MPs' salaries and allowances to a maximum of Shs3 million.
Tuesday's march was organized on social media by young Ugandans using the hashtag #StopCorruption.
Corruption is a major issue in Uganda, with several major scandals involving public officials.
Uganda is ranked 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index.
