Opposition Arrests Continue Ahead of Uganda's Polls

Ugandan presidential candidate Bobi Wine has had yet another encounter with the police. The musician-turned-politician has been detained on several occasions in recent months.   

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was confronted by police as he held an online press conference during which he called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate human rights abuses in the country. 

As he met with journalists on Thursday police offers allegedly pulled Wine from a vehicle, with his campaign team arrested and the cars impounded. However, Wine has vowed that he will not be stopped ahead of elections next week. 

Taking to Twitter he stated, “The God we serve never sleeps! Today they arrested all the 23 members of our new campaign team & impounded the cars. They thought they had broken our back. I literally went to Namayingo alone. But this is how we were recieved! The wave is unstoppable! #WeAreRemovingADictator” 

Uganda is set to hold presidential elections on January 14. Wine is considered the strongest challenger to President Museveni who has been in office since 1986. Since he announced his candidacy there have been several incidents and arrests, with more than 50 people shot dead by security forces in the protests that followed.  

Wine’s petition to the ICC calls on the body to investigate alleged acts of torture, mutilation and the murder of civilian protestors. It mentions President Museveni, security minister Elly Tumwine and others by name. 

This month UN human rights experts stated, “We are gravely concerned by the election-related violence, the excessive use of force by security personnel, as well as the increasing crackdown on peaceful protesters, political and civil society leaders and human rights defenders.”  

“Since the publication of the guidelines on the conduct of elections during Covid-19 in June by the Uganda electoral commission, we have witnessed gradual shrinking of civic space, and misuse and abuse of health-related restrictions to curb dissent in the country,” it continued.