Human rights groups in Uganda are calling for an end to police violence after several government opponents were recently arrested and tear gassed, with one activist even being stripped naked by officers. The UN says it’s concerned by allegations of excessive police force.
Incidents of police brutality are not new in Uganda. Rights groups have long reported on cases of killings particularly during times of public protest, but the latest episode has drawn much anger.
The spark that lit the fuse is a woman by the name of Zainab Fatuma. A National Executive Committee member and environment secretary for Uganda’s main opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Fatuma was propelled into the spotlight on October 10 when she was stripped naked by police for the whole world to see.
On her way to attend a political rally in Rukungiri district in western Uganda, she was dragged on the ground and stripped by police, in shocking scenes that have provoked outrage, and a strong-worded statement by the UN for Ugandan police to refrain from excessive force and degrading treatment.
Ugandan police have dismissed claims of police brutality, claiming instead that the Opposition is trying to discredit them.