Statement on the Gross Violation of Ingrid Turinawe’s Human Rights

Gender Department (UDU)

By Dorothy Lubowa

The rule of law is enshrined in the constitution of Uganda but it is hardly observed by the Ugandan government. Rule of law has beenupheld by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since 1948 and, as a result, has become a part of international customary law binding on all members of the United Nations including Uganda. Uganda has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which protects the rights of all Ugandans to associate, assemble and express themselves as they see fit. Ugandan citizens, under the constitution of Uganda and the Convention Against Torture, have a right to be free from torture and inhumane treatment by the officials of their government.

Therefore all women of Uganda, and men who support them,in the international community:

Condemn the behavior of the Uganda Police who tortured IngridTurinawe while illegally arresting her without justifiable cause;

Are seriously disgusted by the silence of the government of Uganda and NRM regime on the issue of abusing women rights by the police;

Are further astounded and enraged by the savage violation of feminine dignity by the Ugandan police who denied committing the atrocities recorded on video available on u tube at http://www.youtube.com/user/ntvuganda;

Silencing victims is double violation of human rights

People tell or write stories to record experiences and draw lessons for others to emulate or to avoid. History is being repeated in parts of Uganda and extended to the rest of the country in subtle ways difficult to understand. Some leaders in the NRM government took advantage of the victory euphoria and introduced laws like anti-sectarian to silence those who had grievances of a sectarian nature, violating their human rights twice (exploiting them and then denying them the right to speak). As Bahororo in the country with their epicenter in Ankole and Rukungiri consolidate their political, economic and military dominance in Uganda, it is important for Ugandans to understand what is in store for them. Those who disagree with the story, feel free to rebut but in a civil manner.

Bahororo are Nilotic people and Batutsi from Rwanda. Their defining characteristic is that they adopt local names and local languages but men do not marry from other tribes so they have remained Nilotic. They avoid marrying women from other tribes principally to keep secrets to themselves. They also fill sensitive and strategic public positions with Bahororo people. Because of their extensive network, they know where these Bahororo are outside of Ankole and Rukungiri and outside of Uganda. Because of careful camouflage, it is difficult to know who Bahororo people are. You have to construct the family tree.

Structural adjustment and violation of human rights

Because of the tremendous suffering during the two World Wars and the interwar economic and social hardship, world leaders decided – when they adopted the Charter of the United Nations in 1945, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and subsequent instruments including the binding Covenants on economic, social and cultural rights, and political and civil rights in 1966 – to introduce safeguards against violation of human rights like the right to work, earn a remunerative wage in a decent environment, access adequate and balanced food, healthcare, quality education for all and equitable sharing of the benefits of economic growth etc.

From 1945 to 1975, the world enjoyed a period of relative peace and security and the golden economic environment resulted in the overall improvement in peoples’ welfare. In Africa and other developing countries, the benefits of peace and economic growth manifested themselves in falling death rates and rapid population growth.