19 Oct 11 | Africa, Index Index, minipost
The Ugandan opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, was arrested during a protest against surging consumer prices and wasteful government spending yesterday. Besigye was arrested during the “Walk to work” protest on the outskirts of the capital Kampala. Opposition youths threw rocks at passing vehicles and smashing windscreens, following Besigye’s “preventative” arrest. Police say the politician was later released and taken to his home in the Kasangati suburb. In April, the country experienced deadly protests over the high costs of basic commodities and transport.
22 Sep 11 | Index Index, minipost
Ugandan writer Vincent Nzaramba was arrested from his home on 17 September, after penning a book critical of President Yoweri Museveni. According to eyewitnesses, two police vehicles were waiting at Nzaramba’s home, and after searching his home for two hours and confiscating 106 copies of the controversial book, he was taken to the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) headquarters. Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala, programme coordinator for Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), said that Nzaramba is being “illegally detained” by police forces, because he has refused to retract his calls for the removal of the Ugandan president.
28 Jun 11 | Index Index, minipost
Radio presenter in Uganda, Philips Ogile, yesterday began a two-month community service sentence after he was convicted of privacy intrusion. In January 2007 Ogile took, and later published, a photograph of a woman stripped and searched by law enforcement officers. The woman was accused of stealing a mobile phone. Ogile was charged with three counts of indecent assault, defamation and indecently assaulting the modesty of a woman. The officer involved was charged with unlawful detention and fined 100, 000 Ugandan shillings (£25).
02 Jun 11 | Index Index, minipost
Police in Uganda raided the offices of Prime General Supply Limited, the publishers of a bi-weekly newspaper which is critical of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government. During the raid on 25 May two senior editors and two other members of staff at Ggwanga newspaper were arrested on allegations of criminal libel. A computer and several documents concerning the activities of “Activists for Change” were also removed. Three employees have been released on police bail awaiting further questioning.
