The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka has said that the government of Uganda does not run any torture house and condones all kinds of torture.
Kiwanuka made the remarks on Wednesday at the ongoing UN Committee against Torture, session in Geneva.
The committee which started on October 31, is reviewing efforts by Uganda and other five countries to implement the provisions of the convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Previously, the National Unity Platform (NUP) led by its leader, Robert Kyagulanyi appealed to international bodies including the United Nations (UN) to take action on what he called continued abductions and torture of his supporters by the regime.
However, appearing before the UN committee, Kiwanuka defended the government against claims of operating secret torture houses.
“The Government of Uganda does not run any safe houses or ungazetted detention areas. It doesn’t, and when we come back here tomorrow, we shall share with you the most recent report from the Parliament where they went around all these places which were alleged to have been safehouses and they found there were none,” Kiwanuka said.
He explained that if at all there is any kind of torture in the country, that is a person acting on their own and not on a position of the government of Uganda.
The Attorney General further reiterated government’s commitment to ending the gross human rights violations in the country.
He said that the commitment of the government of Uganda to ensure protection of its people against any form of torture remains resolute, adding that all those that have been alleged to have committed these offences are prosecuted.
“To reaffirm our determination, the protection of our people against any form of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment was provided for and protected..under the Articles 24 and 44 of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda,” Kiwanuka said.
This comes at a backdrop of increasing reports by NUP leader Kyagulanyi on alleged resurgence of abductions and torture of some their supporters.
Kyagulanyi claims that many of his supporters have been tortured, illegally detained and others denied access to relatives.
However, government has on several occasions denied the allegations by the NUP leader.
