
Yesterday in Kampala, the Military Police and soldiers was brutalizing journalists and others who came with National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi and 5 other activists delivering a petition to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR).
Therefore, the act itself of attacking and dispersing the civilians who was working as journalists. Was all battered and hurt. Injured and even taken to hospitals. This all happen in-front and close to the offices of the United Nations in Kampala. When the security organizations, the army and the ones keeping safety of the public does this there. What will they do when nobodies eyes are looking? What are they capable of doing, when no one knows?
The NTV Uganda reports it like this: “Military Police soldiers badly beat up journalists and some were hospitalized as they covered former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu as he led a team to deliver a petition to the office of UN Human Rights” (NTV Uganda, 18.02.2021).
You cannot make this one up, but a petition written and made because of human rights breaches of state. The state itself breach human rights to assemble and free speech to deliver a case and evidence of human right violations. They battered and was brutal towards the journalists with their cameras and microphones. While they had AK-47s and Sticks to pound the flesh of these people. They also cracked in the front-window of one of the cars of the NUP activists who was a part of the whole delivery of the petition.
It shouldn’t be this hard to just do a request. To just deliver a petition and ask for an investigation, as they have evidence and affidavits of the acts of the state. The state proves the need for independent outside investigators, when they are attacking people for reporting and delivering petitions to the United Nations (UN) or the OHCHR. That shouldn’t be a thing, but it is.
It is just tragic that it has come down to this. The Spokesperson for the army was blaming the journalists and that they were not following SOPs and this and the other. However, she didn’t say anything sincere about the violent behaviour of the soldiers itself. The UPDF is sentencing 7 soldiers for yesterday’s actions. Nevertheless, if this wasn’t caught on tape and in-front the UN. Then these soldiers would have gotten high-fives and been celebrated at the barracks. Because, this state supports these sort of activities. That is why Bobi Wine delivered the petition in the first place. Which is the ironic part of all of this.
It is not shocking that this happens in 2021 in the Republic. This is sadly common actions towards journalists, activists and citizens participating in the political sphere or close to the opposition. Citizens and civilians who participate there could easily meet a brute force, as police officers, security agents and soldiers targeting them. Therefore, yesterday isn’t anything new, but a pattern of acts towards the ones who dare to dissent to the throne.
It is just a further proof of the atrocities and human rights violations by the state. Peace.














