LONDON – The April 29 arrest and jailing of the pop star-turned-opposition MP Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, represents a dangerous escalation of human rights violations by the Ugandan authorities, says lawyer Robert Amsterdam.
“The decision by the Government of Uganda to charge Bobi Wine with fictitious crimes and then remand him to a maximum security prison – only a week after illegally imposing an armed cordon around his home – represents a brazen violation of both Ugandan and international law,” said Amsterdam, whose law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP acts on behalf of Bobi Wine.
“As organisations such as Amnesty International and members of the US Congress weigh in to voice their outrage over this farce, it is clear that Uganda is going to suffer significant damage to its foreign relations due to this pattern of repressive conduct.”
With a large following in Uganda, particularly among the country’s youths, Bobi Wine is increasingly seen as a strong challenger to long serving President, Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for 33 years.
The Uganda Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered the suspension of staff members from 13 media houses inclung NBS TV, a privately owned outlet, for airing protests in Kampala in support of Bobi Wine after his arrest.
Police are further blocking visitors, including members of his legal counsel, from visiting the parliamentarian in prison, knowing the importance of frequent visits given the torture he suffered during his 2018 detention. All the while, police are ramping up their violent crackdown on street demonstrations in support of Bobi Wine, says Mr. Amsterdam.
He added that the persecution of Bobi Wine underscores the weakness and fragility of Uganda’s military regime and lays bare the fundamental illegitimacy of the country’s military.
“These actions represent a culmination of decades of oppression across a broad swath of opposition, including all those who seek to exercise their constitutional rights to democratic representation.”
Advocacy groups and individual lawmakers have expressed their dismay at the state’s violent treatment of Bobi Wine and his supporters. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Representatives Karen Bass and Brad Sherman (CA), US Senator Bob Menendez (NJ), the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and the US Embassy in Kampala all immediately condemned the detention of Bobi Wine and Uganda’s broader slide toward authoritarianism.
On April 25-26, Mr. Robert Amsterdam, wrote to USA president Donald Trump asking him to take immediate action to cut off military support to Uganda and to denounce the crimes committed by President Museveni’s regime.
He accused Museveni administration of using military aid from US to terrorize civilians and suppress political dissent.
Mr. Amsterdam said it is time for the United States to reconsider its relationship with Uganda, adding that US military support has helped President Museveni to suppress the rule of law in the country.