{UAH} THE ACHOLI VIOLENCE BY AMNESTY INTERANATIONAL EYES {Part 3}

Uganda

Amnesty International was concerned

about the detention without trial of hundreds

of alleged political opponents of the

government, including some prisoners of

conscience. At least 80 rxhtical detainees

were released in an amnesty in July but

others continued to be held in military

barracks w in prisons run by the National

Security Agency ( NASA ). Amnesty International recei‘ ed many

allegations of torture from those who had been held in unlawful custody,

and investigated a number of "disappearances" from militarN and

security custody. The organization was also concerned about continued

reports of extrajudicial executions of alleged political opponents by the

army.

The internal security situation remained unstable throughout 1984.

Activity by anti-government guerrillas was reported in the " Luwero

triangle" northwest of Kampala, in Bunyoro and in West Nile, and the

army mounted major operations against them. In Karamoja the artm

launched a joint operation with Kenyan forces against cattle rustlers

along the border.

Several hundred people remained in detention without trial throughout

1984 under the Public Order and Security Act, 1967. This permits

the detention of anyone whom the President deems "dangerous to peace

and gocx1 order in Uganda". Both the act and the constitution lay down

safeguards for such detainees but they were often disregarded by the

authorities. A judicial review tribunal established to review each

detention within two months and thereafter at six-monthly intervals was

not apparently active. Although the act stipulates that detentions should

be notified in the official Uganda Gazette within 30 days, none were

published in 1984 until November. This was the first list published since

August 1983, although many people had been detained in the meantime.

Over 600 prisoners, including at least 80 political detainees. were

released in an amnesty in July. Atter these releases the Minister of

Internal Affairs reportedly said that 1,142 people were still detained

without charge in Luzira Upper Prison, the maximum security prison

near Kampala where most Public Order and Security Act detainees were

held. However, he did not specify how many of them were held under the

Public Order and Security Act. The list of such detainees published in the

Uganda Gazette in November contained 251 names, but Amnesty

International believed that the number of long-term political detainees in

civil custody was greater than that. Several detainees hekl under the Public Order and Security Act were

ir.lopted as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International. They

included Onesimus Katalikawe, an opposition Democratic Party ( DP)

member of parliament. He had been arrested at Bombo military barracks

in February when he inquired about three other people who had been

arrested. He had reportedly been whipped and beaten severely and held

at a secret NASA detention centre before being transferred in late

February to Luzira Upper Prison. He was still detained there at the end

of 1984. Amnesty International also adopted as prisoners of conscience

six journalists detained under the act in November. Francis Kanyeihamba

and Sam Kiwanuka were detained after being tried and acquitted of

"writing and publishing a false and malicious publication" -- a satirical

article criticizing the government's proposed Women's Charter. Two

others - Drake Ssekeba and Sam Katwere were detained after

publishing an article alleging corruption among government ministers.

Anthony Ssekweyama, editor of the pro-DP weekly newspaper Munnanst

was detained following publication of an article criticizing the presence in

Uganda of North Korean troops. David Kasuija. another Munnansi

journalist, was charged with criminal trespass and detained after a court

had ordered his release on bail. Two other Munnansi journalists --

Andrew Mulindwa and John Baptist Kyeyune were also adopted as

prisoners Of conscience but were still held uncharged in pc)lice custody at

the end of 1984. Both had been arrested by soldiers who reportedly

tortured John Baptist Kyeyune while he was in their custody.

Conditions in Luzira Upper Prison were believed to be poor but there

were no reports of torture. Several uncharged political detainees died

there, including Nelson Kirya-Kalikwani, a 66-yearold DP official who

died in July after being detained in April. The authorities did not divulge

the cause of death, but it occurred at the time of a typhoid outbreak in the

prison. Amnesty International expressed its concern to the government

about this and other deaths and about allegations that detainees were

denied medical attention.

In June a Repeal Act was passed which stripped members of the

armed forces of the power to arrest civilians conferred on them by the

forma government of President Idi Amin. However, Amnesty International

continued to receive many reports of civilians being unlawfully

detained by the army or NASA, allegedly because of connections with

the guerrillas, but in fact because of their political affiliations or ethnic

origin. The government, however, continued to refuse to acknowledge

that anyone was held in military barracks, and it was impossible to find

out the numbers detained. Amnesty International continued to receive

reports that torture was routinely carried out by soldiers and NASA

personnel, sometimes until the victim died The most common form of

torture reported was beating, using iron bars, sticks with nails, rifle butts and electric cable. The application of electric shocks, rape and other

sexual tortures were also reported.

In July Amnesty International issued an urgent appeal on behalf of

Annette Florence Nnakandi, the I 8-year-old daughter of a missing DP

member of parliament, who was arrested at the end of May and detained

in Makindye barracks - where she was reportedly tortured and Nile

Mansions military intelligence centre. It was discovered that her eight

month-old daughter was detained with her. She was later transferred to

police custody where the government said that she was being held for

questioning. She and her baby were released without charge in

September.

Amnesty International received many reports of "disappearances"

in military custody. In March the organization asked the government

about Ludovico Mangeni and Joseph Wabwiire, two elderly DP

officials. They were reportedly arrested at Tororo police station in

eastern Uganda in March, along with six other DP officials, when they

were applying for permission to hold a meeting in the town. The eight

were transferred from police custody to Rubongi military barracks in

Tororo. Six were later released but Ludovico Mangeni and Joseph

Wabwiire had "disappeared". It was alleged that they were being held in

Rubongi barracks where they were being denied fbod. In July Amnesty

International received reports that they had died in custody. In August, in

response to Amnesty International's inquiries, the Ministry of Internal

Affairs stated that an investigation had established that they had never

been arrested and detained, and repeated the government's denial that

any prisoners were held in military custody.

Several leading political opponents of the government were tried in

1984. They included Yoweri Kyesimira, a DP member of parliament

who was previously detained without trial ftom February 1981 to

January 1982. He was rearrested in March 1983 and charged with

treason on account of alleged links with guerrillas. No verdict in his trial

had been given by the end of 1984 although two assessors reportedly

recommended to the judge that he should be acquitted. Amnesty

International was concerned that Yoweri Kyesimira may have been a

prisoner of conscience.

In November Paul Ssemogerere, the leader of the DP, Anthony

Ssekweyama and another DP official were charged with sedition. They

had publicized an alleged letter from the Chief Justice to President

Milton Obote which discussed plans to detain DP leaders, and led Paul

Ssemogerere to question the independence and political impartiality of

the ChiefJustice. However, they were released on bail and their trial had

not begun by the end of 1984. It was while on bail that Anthony

Ssekweyama was detained under the Public Order and Security Act( see

above). Ffie trial of six men accused of treason took place in the High Court

from Nm ember to December. They included Balaki Kirya, a former

government minister who was abducted from exile in Kenya by Ugandan

agents in I 982 and subsequently charged with treason. In December he

was acquitted and charges against the other five defendants were

withdrawn. However. all six were immediately rearrested and they were

still detained at the end of 1984. Amnesty International expressed

concern to President Obote about the rearrests and asked to be told the

legal hasis for the detention of the six men.

Ugandan refugees and political exiles outside the country faced

continued threats to their security. In May Laurence Ssemakula, the

leader of the opposition Federal Democratic Movement of Uganda

EDF MU), was reportedly abducted from Nairobi. Six months later

Amnesty International received information that he had died at Kircka

military barracks shortly atter his abduction. The organization received

reports of several other attempted abductions of Ugandan refugees in

Kenya and in September and October Ugandan soldiers were alleged to

have abducted Ugandan refugees from Sudan. In December Amnesty

International expressed its concern to President Obote about such

incidents and about reports of extrajudicial executions carried out by

soldiers in the West Nile area. and called for an urgent inquiry.

Amnesty International continued to receive reports of widespread

extrajudicial killings by the army. In addition to West Nile, the southern

Buganda area was cited, especially the Luwero triangle" where it was

reported to Amnesty International that a number of mass graves had

been discovered. Amnesty International also received reports of killings

of civilians by guerrillas. However, the organization believed that the

majority of killings of civilians were carried out by the army. One

particularly well-documented incident took place at Namugongo, near

Kampala, at the end of May. Soldiers were reported to have killed up to

100 civilians, including the Reverend Godfrey Bazira. principal of the

Uganda Martyrs' Theological College, and Sheik Yusuf Mono. Imam of

the nearby Kito mosque. The government condemned the killings and

admitted that soldiers might have been involved. Subsequently one man,

reportedly an army officer, was said to have been charged in connection

with the killings. However, no formal inquiry was known to have been

established. In July Amnesty International urged President Obote to

establish an independent and impartial inquiry and to make public its

findings.

In August 1984, the Ugandan Minister of Information reportedly

stated that some 15,000 people may have been killed by both the army

and guerrillas since 1981. This statement was issued in denial of an

earlier estimate by the US Assistant Secretary of State for Human

Rights and Humanitarian Affairs that between 100,000 and 200,000 people had been killed by the army or deliberately starved to death since

1981. Amnesty International stated that it did not know exactly how

many people had been killed, hut that killings of civilians were taking

place on a scale so large as to cause the gravest concern.

 

EM

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni katika machafuko"