{UAH} Is it not time we planned for Transitional Justice in a like Post-NRM?

Ever since Ruth Teitel, a US legal scholar, first coined the term "transitional justice" in 1991, there have been wide ranging debates as to it's applicability to redress gross violations of human rights abuses.  To date, establishing transitional justice in countries that have transitioned from totalitarian to democracies has become a political process with broad participation of local and international NGOs. While the particular type of transitional justice, e.g. truth commissions, national reconciliation processes, legal redresses, shaming, etc, often depend on the historical context of the society, most critical, is the debate around compromises by domestic factions. Although the defeat of NRM could be years away, it is critical to start debating about a post-transition scenario, especially given the regime's chequered human rights records recently. Because transitional justice presents serious hardships to establish in a short frame, it is indeed time to prepare now! I believe broaching the subject of transitional justice must be crucial to all efforts currently.  

 

It appears as though; the Uganda Police Force under NRM is committing gross human rights abuses against the same people they are by law meant to protect. The government of Uganda through the recently passed NRM-orchestrated public order and management bill has effectively denied citizens' basic human rights, such as freedoms of expression, political participation and assembly, leave alone the death of civilians expressing their rights, as well as the excessive brutality demonstrated by the police against citizens. While the UN's call for a repeal of POMB is welcome, there is need for a real UN commission of inquiry for greater investigations into the human rights abuses inside the police force, and the country in general. Such efforts would go a long way to bring Uganda's human rights abuses into the limelight.

 

It bits logic that the country is vehemently rooting for the chairmanship of the UN General Assembly. I hope someone in New York is closely monitoring them. Transition could be years away, but it is equally vital to start to raise penitent questions regarding our men and women in uniform, as well as our members of parliament. As concerned Ugandans, we need to debate how we will apportion responsibility for human rights abuses, preventing the reoccurrence of such abuses, and promoting the integration of a Ugandan society in post-transition.