Reports have surfaced on social media alleging that several youth protesters arrested on Tuesday were tortured and some sexually molested while in police custody.
The revelations were brought to light by activist Dr. Jimmy Spire, who received numerous complaints from the protesters. Dr. Spire shared one harrowing account on social media: “The police officer told me that ‘since you are funded by homosexuals, now we are going to give you a justification for the money’. Then he raped me [anally],” one of the arrested youths claimed.
Dr. Spire urged the Uganda Police Force to address these allegations, tweeting: “PoliceUg, come out and talk about these allegations of young boys/suspects being ‘sodomised’ by your officers under police custody. We can’t let this pass just like that.”
The police leadership has denied the accusations, dismissing them as propaganda aimed at tarnishing its reputation and made by those seeking to get “asylum and visas in western countries”. However, these allegations have revived memories of past accusations against the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), which has faced criticism for war crimes and tactics, including sodomy against opponents during the LRA war in northern Uganda.
This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. Political prisoners from the National Unity Platform (NUP), including Eddie Mutwe and Nubian Lee, have previously reported sexual molestation and inhumane treatment while in custody.
Doctors have called for urgent action to assist the victims in seeking justice and receiving medical care. “Let’s hope the victims have been assessed and given PEP. If not, there is still a window for this to be done. Please advise them to seek medical attention,” commented Dr. Vine Nabitaka, referring to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV/AIDS.
