The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has come out to warn that they won’t hesitate to legally go after individual police officers who are behind the recent spate of brutality being meted against citizens who peacefully demonstrate.
In their April 25 statement, the lawyers led by their president, Mr Bernard Oundo, reminded the law enforcement officers of how they can be held liable in their individual capacities for torture of Ugandans.
“Individual police officers are also advised that under Section 10 of the Human Rights Enforcement Act, 2019, the law now provides for personal liability of any public officer, who either individually or in association with others, violates any person’s rights and freedoms and legal action can be taken against such an officer as an individual,” the statement by ULS reads in part.
Some of the notable incidents include arrest of 37 medical interns who were last month marching to Parliament from Mulago while protesting delayed deployment. There was also police’s scuffle with individuals who were demonstrating delayed prosecution of iron sheets suspects, and Makerere University students who were demonstrating what they said were unfair disqualification of their colleagues vying for student political offices.
