President Museveni and Officials Face Accusations of Torture as International Attention Mounts

The Ugandan government finds itself embroiled in a heated controversy as accusations of torture against high-ranking officials, including President Yoweri Museveni and his son, emerge.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently received testimonies from Ugandans who claim to have been subjected to torture by government officials.

 In response, the government spokesperson has dismissed these claims as attention-seeking propaganda as the National Unity Platform, says it wants justice for people who allege they were tortured the government.

According to NUP spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi , NUP supports many Ugandans who have provided testimonies in a case being presented to the International Criminal Court against top government officials.

The accusations which stem from Uganda’s 2021 elections was recently presented by Bruce Afran, a Princeton, New Jersey-based lawyer, whose team gathered the testimonies.

According to them, several video clips were shared on social media allegedly showed security officials torturing and, in some cases, firing live bullets at protesters.

54 people were killed during the campaign period, mostly in clashes between police and protesters after authorities stopped Museveni’s challenger, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, from campaigning in eastern Uganda. A number of NUP activists were also arrested.

However, president Museveni condemned the killings and stated that some terrorists had been killed though the NUP spokesperson Ssenyonyi said the president’s words showed that he was responsible for the arrests and torture.

26 top government officials are accused of participating in, aiding and abetting the detention and torture of opposition supporters during Uganda’s 2021 election. The ICC has not indicated whether it will take up the case.