A prominent international human rights watchdog has called on the Ugandan authorities to investigate the reported torture of opposition lawmaker Francis Zaake, who was arrested for distributing food to people in violation of quarantine-related restrictions imposed by the government over the COVID-19 pandemic
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2020) A prominent international human rights watchdog has called on the Ugandan authorities to investigate the reported torture of opposition lawmaker Francis Zaake, who was arrested for distributing food to people in violation of quarantine-related restrictions imposed by the government over the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March, the Ugandan government banned public and private transport, suspended non-essential services and closed non-food markets as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni also instructed the police to arrest politicians who distribute food, since food donations had to go through a government-organized task force.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, citing witnesses, that Zaake had been arrested at his home for distributing food to people severely hit by the COVID-19 restrictions. On April 22, he was transferred to a hospital where he was being treated for an undisclosed condition. Witnesses told HRW that the lawmaker was unable to walk and appeared to have been severely beaten.
"Police brutality is always prohibited, pandemic or no pandemic. Uganda's authorities should urgently look into these allegations and hold those responsible to account," Uganda researcher at HRW Oryem Nyeko said, as quoted in the press release.
Uganda's police have denied reports that Zaake was tortured although traces of beatings were confirmed by another lawmaker, who visited Zaake in the detention center, and by Zaake's lawyer.
"While enforcing the government's Covid-19 measures, security forces have beaten, arbitrarily arrested, and shot civilians, including vendors, journalists, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth," HRW added.
Earlier in April, Amnesty International warned that millions of people in Africa were facing hunger over the lockdown regimes introduced by the governments to curb the spread of the COVID-19. The watchdog noted that the governments of such states as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and others had deployed police and servicemen to the streets to monitor the movement of people and ensure they comply with the lockdown measures. Numerous incidents have been reported about the disproportionate use of force and violence concerning those seen on the streets.
