Uganda court releases rights activist detained before election

A Ugandan court on Wednesday released prominent rights activist Sarah Bireete on bail after her detention was criticised by international campaign groups as part of a crackdown on dissent ahead of the January 15 election.

Bireete, who heads the Centre for Constitutional Governance, a Kampala-based pressure group, was detained on December 30 after questioning the accuracy of the voter register to be used in the poll. She was later charged with offences related to the alleged unlawful disclosure of voters’ information.

Magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko granted bail on Wednesday, saying “the applicant satisfied all the relevant requirements for the grant of bail”.

After Bireete’s detention, the Centre for Constitutional Governance said she was being persecuted for helping to “amplify the voices of the oppressed and marginalised”. International rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had demanded her unconditional release.

Official results from the election showed long-ruling incumbent Yoweri Museveni securing 71.6 per cent of the votes. Opposition leader Bobi Wine, who is in hiding and is being sought by the military, has rejected the results.

Museveni, 81, is Africa’s third-longest ruling head of state and will have been president of Uganda for 45 years by the time his current term ends in 2031.

Rights groups and the opposition have long accused his government of using the military to suppress dissent. The government denies the accusations.

SOURCE: Reuters