Protests in Uganda: Activist sexually abused in police cell – Lawyer

A Ugandan activist, one of dozens arrested this week for taking part in banned demonstrations, was sexually abused in custody, his lawyer said.

During the anti-corruption protests in the capital Kampala, more than 90 young people were arrested and some of them were charged with causing public nuisance.

Some of those released from custody also reportedly claimed to have been sexually abused in police cells, which led to widespread criticism, but the police denied these allegations.

“He was anally abused immediately after his arrest. The police believe that homosexuals are funding the protests… they told him: ‘Now you deserve it,'” lawyer Eron Kiiza told the BBC.

The march was organized on social media amid anger over long-standing corruption allegations against several senior state officials.

Inspired by the anti-tax demonstrations in Kenya, the protesters demanded the resignation of the parliamentary speaker. She is accused of corruption, which she denies.

But Ugandan riot police quickly ended the protests by dragging several young activists, including a well-known television presenter, onto the back of trucks.

Some of them face various charges, but an unknown number of them are still in police custody, local media reported.

The security forces are accused of violently suppressing the protests.

Regarding the allegations of sexual assault, lawyer Kiiza said that while it was not common for people to be attacked in this way in police cells, “sometimes it happens to unfortunate people.”

“This happened as a result of the desperation of some police officers who are trying to find a link between the protests and the so-called foreign donors,” Mr Kiiza added.

“It’s like an act of revenge.”

The lawyer said he has medical records proving the sexual abuse and he will use them to sue authorities once his client completes treatment and rehabilitation.

Due to security concerns, he declined to disclose the name of his client or the cell phone on which the crime had taken place.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine claimed that other activists of both sexes had also been sexually abused during their detention.

“Few of them have had the courage to speak publicly about their ordeal. A great many of them have told us about it, but they are afraid or ashamed to speak publicly about it,” added Bobi Wine, a former pop star whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.

The allegation sparked an uproar on social media and Ugandans called for an independent investigation into the case.

“If this is true, then may the Lord judge the people who do this!” posted by Youth Minister Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi on X.

The minister acknowledged that the allegations were dehumanizing and called on the country’s police chief to investigate them.

The US Embassy in Kampala said in a statement: “We call for all allegations of attacks on individuals in custody to be investigated and perpetrators to be brought to justice.”

However, police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said dismissed the allegations as “unfounded” and “malicious”.

“The police are very conscious of the rights of the suspects and take their responsibilities seriously,” Mr Rusoke added in a statement.

But President Yoweri Museveni praised the police for cracking down on the protests, which he said were funded by “foreign sources.”

Mr Museveni said “very bad things” would come to light in court.

The human rights organization Amnesty International called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested.

“The brutal methods used by the Ugandan government to suppress and silence peaceful protesters demonstrate a blatant crackdown on dissent,” it said in a statement.