What are the takeaways from the latest petitions
Police officers arrest a member of the campaign team of National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, in Jinja on November 18, 2020. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- In this explainer, Chapter Four Uganda details what informed its latest round of petitions as well as the road ahead.
This past workweek, on February 5, Chapter Four Uganda submitted three communications to the United Nations (UN) human rights bodies in Geneva, Switzerland, exposing a multitude of misrepresentations by Uganda relating to the human rights abuses committed during the 2021 General Election period.
What is the purpose of filing the three Communications to UN human rights bodies?
The purpose of the filings is to draw the attention of the UN human rights bodies and the broader international community to the fact that the government has failed to meet its obligations under the UN human rights treaties to which it is party. Firstly, by perpetrating human rights abuses during the 2021 General Election period. Secondly, by misrepresenting the true human rights situation in submissions before the UN human rights bodies.
What will happen next?
It is up to the UN human rights bodies to decide what steps to take. The UN bodies could ask the Ugandan government to explain the misrepresentations. However, it should be noted that Uganda has received various requests from UN Special Mandate holders seeking Uganda’s response to allegations of human rights violations, which Uganda has systematically ignored. These failures on the part of Uganda to respond to communications alleging human rights violations from United Nations Special Mandate holders and Working Groups underscores the general disregard shown by Uganda to these bodies and to its own human rights obligations.
What power do UN Human Rights Bodies have to ensure Uganda complies with its human rights obligations?
The UN Human Rights Bodies do not have any enforcement powers to make Uganda comply with its human rights obligations. However, through the United Nations Human Rights Commission it can take measures, including establishing a dedicated body mandated to investigate the human rights situation in Uganda. It is regrettable that this action was not taken immediately after the election violence in 2020-2021.
How do you think Uganda will react to these filings?
Unfortunately, based on the pattern of past behaviour, we expect Uganda to ignore these filings just as they have persistently ignored their human rights obligations. However, we hope that the international community will review these filings and use their good offices to persuade Uganda to start respecting the UN human rights treaty bodies.
