The United States Embassy in Uganda has condemned the arrest of peaceful protesters in Uganda on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Embassy emphasized that the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental to democracy and praised the media for keeping the public informed throughout the protests.
The Embassy asserted that all those arrested during the Tuesday protests are entitled to a fair hearing under the Uganda Constitution.
“The United States is concerned by the recent arrests of over 90 Ugandan citizens peacefully demonstrating against corruption and commends the courage of the media to ensure the Ugandan public stays informed. Under the Ugandan constitution, anyone detained has the right to a fair hearing and safe treatment, and we urge that any allegations of individuals assaulted in detention be investigated and perpetrators be held accountable,” the statement released on Friday reads.
This statement follows President Yoweri Museveni’s remarks that the protest planners aimed to harm Ugandan citizens. Museveni claimed the demonstration involved elements funded by foreign sources allegedly meddling in African internal affairs.
“Some of the authors and participants of the demonstrations were planning very bad things against the people of Uganda. Those very bad things will come out in court when those arrested are being tried. It is possible, that some of the participants, did not know of the planned foreign funding and the planned bad things,” he said.
Museveni warned that Uganda is not a neo-colony where “shallow schemes” can be deployed. He condemned the alleged foreign funding behind the protests, attributing it to a long history of external interference in African affairs. He assured the public that the details of these ‘evil’ plans would be revealed in court as the arrested individuals face trial.
The Uganda President also congratulated the armed forces, security forces, and the citizens who did not participate in the July 23 anti-corruption march to Parliament.
