KAMPALA — A magistrate’s court in Uganda has charged at least 42 youths for offenses allegedly committed during a banned anti-corruption protest on Tuesday, remanding them in custody.
Protesters marched through various streets in Kampala on Tuesday, shouting slogans and holding placards denouncing corruption by lawmakers.
The youths appeared in court late Tuesday, facing charges such as “idle and disorderly” conduct and being a “common nuisance,” according to the charge sheet produced in court. Bernard Oundo, president of the Uganda Law Society and head of the legal team representing the suspects, confirmed the details on Wednesday.
The protesters pleaded not guilty and were ordered to return to court on various dates between July 30 and August 6.
New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch criticized the arrests, saying they demonstrated the government of President Yoweri Museveni’s “lack of respect for people’s right to protest and express themselves.”
“Instead of being arrested and blocked from protesting, those people should have been given a platform and listened to,” Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at HRW, said.
The police spokesperson did not respond to repeated calls for comment.
Opposition leaders and rights activists argue that embezzlement and misuse of government funds are widespread in Uganda. They have long accused Museveni of failing to prosecute corrupt senior officials who are politically loyal or related to him.
Museveni has consistently denied condoning corruption, asserting that culprits, including lawmakers and ministers, are prosecuted whenever there is sufficient evidence.
Ahead of Tuesday’s march, military and police forces were heavily deployed across the city in an attempt to deter the protest.
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