Human Rights Defenders not sure of their safety in the 2021 elections

By Ben Musanje

27^th June 2019

Human rights defenders under their umbrella, the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Uganda (NCHRDU) are worried of more abuses and violations of human rights in the period of the forthcoming 2021 general elections.

Addressing the press at coalition offices in Ntinda, the NCHRDU Executive Director Robert Kirenga says that within the last three years, offices of about 35 human rights defender’s bodies have been broken in and no investigation reports released by police.

He recommends that to avoid such actions, parliament should consider prioritizing the proposed law on protection of human rights and police to ensure that perpetrators are charged for criminal offices in courts of law.

However, the Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda (HRNJ-U) Executive Director, Robert Ssempala urged the judiciary to promote and protect the rights of Human Rights defenders by fairy and promptly adjudicating on the cases of human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable.