Student Movement Slams Closure of UN Human Rights Office in Uganda

The GENERATION NEXT student movement has strongly criticized the recent closure of the United Nations Human Rights office in Uganda, labeling it a deliberate attempt by the Ugandan government to avoid accountability and international scrutiny amid ongoing human rights abuses.

In a press release, the student group expressed shock and dismay at the closure, particularly at a time when Uganda is experiencing severe human rights violations, including torture, kidnappings, unlawful arrests, detentions, and the forced disappearance of many, especially opposition party members and advocates for governance and human rights.

Ruth Asiimwe, a technical advisor at the Youth Line Forum, commented on the government’s pattern of shutting down or suspending NGOs and other non-state actors that promote human rights, governance, and the rule of law. She cited the suspension of the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) and the arrest of several human rights defenders as examples of this troubling trend. “This closure means that the victims of human rights violations, particularly torture, will now lack a crucial avenue for seeking justice,” Asiimwe stated.

The students, led by Reagan Muyinda, coordinator of the Generation Next Platform, have demanded that the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant entities, provide a comprehensive report on the closure promptly. They also urged that those responsible for human rights abuses be held accountable and prosecuted.

Additionally, the students called on their peers to join them in demanding action from the government regarding the ongoing human rights violations.

Echoing these sentiments, Baguma Richard Rwatooro from the East African Centre for International Relations and Foreign Policy Studies appealed to the international community and the UN to intensify pressure on the Ugandan government. He highlighted the government’s systematic human rights abuses against its citizens and its reluctance to prosecute the perpetrators, thus denying victims justice