The Ugandan police force on Monday, May 27, 2024, arrested eight activists marching to the Chinese Embassy in Kampala to deliver a protest letter against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline funding.
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) says it is concerned that, instead of being engaged meaningfully, they were arrested. It says this kind of humiliation and inhuman treatment is not only a human rights abuse but also has no place in the modern world and should be condemned at all costs.
“Use of excessive force to arrest peaceful and unarmed civilians is a big shame to a civilian force like police and violates the Ugandan constitution. NAPE strongly warns and calls upon the police to stop this harassment and intimidation of environmental activists and calls for unconditional release. NAPE maintains that detaining environmentalists for protesting is unlawful, and culprits should be punished,” said Frank Muramuzi, the Executive Director of NAPE.
In any case, this EACOP and other oil development projects are public investments that should be kept under scrutiny by the citizens. If these investments are to come at a cost of denying citizens their rights, then they need to be fought at any cost, Muramuzi added.
“OilWatch Africa supports the call release of the detained activists and frowns at the harassment of citizens fighting for the rights of Africans to a safe environment as enshrined in Article 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”
