New York/ The Hague, 16 April 2018 – Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) calls on Ugandan competent authorities to respect the fundamental rights of every individual including parliamentarians exercising their civil and political rights, in accordance with national and international legal and democratic standards and obligations.
On 27 September 2017, the physical integrity of Ugandan MP Betty Nambooze, member of the opposition was seriously violated, allegedly by members of special security forces, who skillfully exerted great pressure with their knees on her back, which resulted in paralysis as she could not walk, stand sit, or lie on her back. Hon. Nambooze was then rushed to a medical facility and the transferred to a hospital in India to undergo surgery in her damaged spine.
This dramatic event took place in the framework of the controversial ‘Age Limit’ bill, presented by MP Raphael Magyezi that removes the country’s presidential age limit of 75 years old, and extends by two years the term of office for members of parliament, the presidency and local governments.
On 20 December 2017, 317 Parliamentarians approved the Age Limit draft bill and 97 opposed it. The President of Uganda then signed the draft bill into law. The bill was strongly contested by Opposition MPs and representatives of the civil society.
Indeed, six Members of Parliament petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking the annulment of the Bill. These legislators also challenged their suspension from parliamentary proceedings, the invasion of Parliament by security forces that forcibly removed them from parliamentary premises, and the disruption by security forces of consultations on said bill in their respective constituencies. The Uganda Law Society also petitioned the Constitutional Court challenging the constitutionality of the amendment.
Seeking the admissibility of MP Nambooze’s affidavit that has been thrown out for being filed late, Ms. Christine Kaahwa, Director of Civil Litigation, encountered some difficulties with Mbale High Court Justices. The matter was however settled by Deputy Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo who allowed affidavits filed late from both sides to be recorded into the proceedings.
MP Betty Nambooze was summoned to appear for cross-examination today before the Constitutional Court, regarding the injuries sustained during the incident in Parliament.
The Ugandan legal system has been seized on matter of the stripping of parliamentary rights of other 25 MPs and violations of their physical integrity.
Such infringements upon fundamental civil and political rights are in violation of national and international law pertaining to human rights. As a State Party to many international instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Uganda has the obligation to comply with their provisions.
PGA stands for the human rights of all parliamentarians and recognizes the imperative necessity to uphold constitutional prerogatives of democratically elected officials as well as the principle of the separation of powers, and it calls upon all relevant authorities of Uganda to take the necessary steps to afford full redress to the victims of these human rights violations.
