Dozens of young people were detained by the Ugandan security forces on Tuesday, according to a rights group because they took part in a prohibited protest rally in downtown Kampala. These detained youths had protested against official corruption and purported human rights abuses by the country’s rulers.
The protesters had reportedly waved placards and shouted slogans condemning corruption. A protestor had worn a T-shirt bearing the words “Speaker Must Resign.”
Chapter Four, a Ugandan human rights group that offers legal services to the detainees had said that about 45 people were detained by security officials during the crackdown but this number has not been confirmed by the police
About five persons out of those detained were charged and remanded in custody until July 30 and they are accused of being a “common nuisance” and being “idle and disorderly.”
Authorities had proscribed the protest on the grounds that the intelligence they gathered revealed that criminally-minded youths might commandeer it in order to loot and vandalise properties.
Soldiers and police were dispatched around the parliament building and in the centre of the Ugandan capital with the intention of deterring any protesters.
All roads to the parliament were cordoned off, with access only granted the lawmakers and other parliamentary staff.
