On 10 April, Ruslan Tukhbatullin was violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, prevented from leaving Turkmenistan to meet transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people his brother Farid Tukhbatullin and was told increased. Violence against women he and his nine-year-old son were blacklisted remained widespread while state hostility for travelling abroad. This was believed to be increased towards civil society organizations in retaliation for Farid Tukhbatullin’s human and activists working on human rights, oil rights work.3 governance, corruption and land issues.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION BACKGROUND Religious activity remained strictly controlled. The succession of President Museveni as Religious groups representing Shi’a Muslims, leader of the National Resistance Movement Catholics, Protestants and Jehovah’s (NRM) and head of state dominated national Witnesses faced difficulty in registering discourse during 2014. In February the NRM organizations. Six Jehovah’s Witnesses passed a resolution urging party members imprisoned for conscientious objection were to endorse President Museveni as sole released in an amnesty in October. One candidate in the 2016 presidential elections. remained in prison. Provisions in the Code The resolution also discouraged leaders of Administrative Offences, which came into within the party from harbouring presidential force in January, punished the import, export ambitions. In September, Health Minister and distribution of religious materials. Ruhakana Rugunda replaced as Prime Minister.

1. Further information: Former prisoner denied urgent medical care FREEDOMS OF EXPRESSION, - Geldy Kyarizov (EUR 61/001/2014) ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR61/001/2014/en Restrictions on freedom of expression, 2. Urgent Action: Man to return to prison where he was beaten - Mansur peaceful assembly and association continued. Mingelov (EUR 61/002/2014) The Public Order Management Act (POMA), www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR61/002/2014/en which came into force in November 2013, 3. Turkmenistan: Activist’s family barred from travel abroad, brother of was used to impose wide-ranging restrictions exiled rights defender halted at the airport (NWS 11/094/2014) on public meetings. It gave the police powers www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/turkmenistan-activist- to prohibit and disperse public gatherings s-family-barred-travel-abroad-brother-exiled-rights-d of a political nature. A petition challenging the POMA’s constitutionality filed with the Constitutional Court in December 2013 remained pending. The POMA was used in the first quarter of 2014 to disperse peaceful assemblies organized as part of the Free and Fair Republic of Uganda Elections Now campaign and arrest political Head of state and government: Yoweri Kaguta activists. Often, those arrested were not Museveni charged. In April, the Free and Fair Elections Now campaign steering team held a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs. The police Restrictions on freedoms of expression, did not interrupt subsequent rallies convened peaceful assembly and association by the group. continued as the authorities used repressive On 26 February, police declared illegal and and discriminatory legislation to stifle civil dispersed a peaceful protest organized by the space. Discrimination, harassment and

Amnesty International Report 2014/15 379 End Miniskirt Harassment Coalition outside and association. The High Court ruled that the National Theatre in the capital, Kampala. the applicants had not suffered any unlawful On 22 March in Mbale city, the police used infringement of their rights and that they tear gas and fired live ammunition into the had participated in promoting “homosexual air to disperse crowds of people who were practices” which were offences against marching to the venue of a rally organized by morality under the Penal Code. the Free and Fair Elections Now campaign team. Police said that the rally’s organizers RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, had not given the notification required under TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE the POMA. In February, President Museveni signed the On 27 March, the police prevented Bishop 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law. In Zac Niringiye, the retired Assistant Bishop of August, the Constitutional Court declared Kampala and anti-corruption activist, from the law null and void on the grounds that speaking at Kabale University in western there was no quorum in Parliament when it Uganda and participating in a scheduled was passed. Discrimination, arbitrary arrests, broadcast on Kabale’s Voice of Kigezi radio harassment and violence against LGBTI station. Police told Amnesty International people increased during the five months that that they acted because Bishop Zac had not the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was in received authorization from the university force. LGBTI support organizations observed to hold a meeting on its premises and the a sharp increase in the number of arrests of scheduled radio show could incite violence. LGBTI people under the AHA. Some LGBTI During the year the police stopped peaceful people were arrested by police when reporting demonstrations by a group of unemployed a crime or when visiting a friend or colleague young people referring to themselves as in detention. Many were held without charge the Jobless Brotherhood. On 17 June, for longer than the 48-hour maximum two members of the Jobless Brotherhood, stipulated by the Constitution. Those arrested Norman Tumuhimbise and Robert Mayanja, reported ill-treatment in detention, including were arrested after they entered Parliament being subjected to physical and sexual with two piglets to protest against corruption assaults, stripping, groping and forced anal and high youth unemployment. They were examinations. A number of transgender later charged with criminal trespass among individuals were stripped naked and paraded other charges. On 4 August, nine members by the police in front of the media. Some of the Jobless Brotherhood, carrying a coffin, HIV-positive detainees were denied access to were arrested as they demonstrated at the anti-retroviral medication. Independence Monument in Kampala. They The authorities also targeted organizations were charged with participating in an unlawful providing services to LGBTI people. assembly. In October, Norman Tumuhimbise In March, the authorities suspended the and Robert Mayanja were arrested following work of the Refugee Law Project (RLP) in another demonstration in Kampala refugee camps and settlements pending involving piglets. investigations into allegations that the In June, the High Court issued its judgment organization was “promoting homosexuality“, in a case challenging the constitutionality an offence under the AHA. of the February 2012 forced closure of In May, the suspension was extended to an LGBTI activists’ workshop in the town cover all RLP work relating to refugees and of Entebbe by the Minister of Ethics and asylum-seekers. The suspension continued Integrity. The applicants argued that the to stand even after the Constitutional Court Minister’s action violated their rights including nullified the AHA. freedom of expression, peaceful assembly

380 Amnesty International Report 2014/15 On 3 April, police raided the Makerere Police officers also used the APA to University Walter Reed Project, an HIV harass women. research project run in partnership between In February, Patience Akumu, a journalist and the US Military and women’s rights activist, was briefly HIV Research Program. One employee was refused entry into Naguru police station taken into custody on suspicion of “recruiting because of the way she was dressed. homosexuals” but was subsequently released. In February, Lilian Drabo, a lawyer based The clinic was temporarily closed. in Kampala, was threatened with arrest The AHA legitimized abuses and violence because of her clothing at the Nakawa Court against LGBTI people by non-state actors in Kampala. The management of the Nakawa whose actions went largely unpunished. One High Court Central Circuit had put up a notice transgender woman was killed and another warning that it would not tolerate indecent raped. Evictions, threats and blackmail were apparel on court premises. the most common abuses against LGBTI A petition filed in May challenging the people. Increased threat levels for LGBTI constitutionality of the APA remained people led some to flee Uganda. The AHA pending. The then Prime Minister’s restricted the ability of LGBTI people to commitment in February to review the APA access health care, especially HIV/AIDS and had not been implemented by the end of sexual health care. In one positive move, the the year. Ministry of Health issued a directive in June reaffirming the government’s commitment to RIGHT TO HEALTH - ACCESS TO HIV/ provide health services without discrimination, AIDS HEALTH CARE SERVICES including on the basis of sexual orientation. In July, President Museveni signed into law In October, the Chief Magistrates Court at the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Act. Buganda Road, Kampala, dismissed charges The Act criminalized HIV transmission and against Mukisa Kim, a gay man, and Mukasa exposure and provided for mandatory HIV Jackson, a transgender woman, after the testing. The Act allowed unjustified breaches prosecution repeatedly failed to confirm they of the right to confidentiality. Local and were ready to proceed with the trial. Mukisa international NGOs raised concerns that Kim had been charged under the Penal Code women in particular would be impacted with “having carnal knowledge of a person adversely and disproportionately by the against the order of nature”, while Mukasa implementation of the Act. Jackson had been charged with “permitting a male person to have carnal knowledge against HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS the order of nature”. Civil society organizations and activists working on human rights, oil governance, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS corruption and land issues continued to President Museveni signed the Anti- face threats to their work. NGO offices and Pornography Act (APA) into law on 6 staff came under surveillance while several February. Immediately after the signing, organizations reported receiving threats. women whom the public deemed to be The offices of a number of organizations dressed indecently were attacked, stripped including ActionAid Uganda, Foundation and beaten by mobs in the streets. The for Human Rights Initiative, Human Rights police confirmed four incidents in Kampala Network-Uganda (HURINET-U) and the city centre but failed to record them or Anti-corruption Coalition of Uganda were the victims’ particulars in the official crime broken into by unidentified individuals. records, or to arrest the perpetrators of The break-ins appeared to be attempts to the attacks. access information on the organizations’

Amnesty International Report 2014/15 381 human rights and governance work. Police Kony, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) investigations into most of these break-ins leader, and three LRA commanders. The men remained pending. were still at large at the end of the year. On the night of 5 May, the offices of Former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, HURINET-U were broken into. A server, who in 2011 pleaded not guilty before the 29 computers, office cameras, safes, and International Crimes Division of the High security cameras were stolen. Court to charges of murder, wilful killing and On the night of 17 May, the offices of other offences committed in the context of the Uganda Land Alliance were broken the conflict in northern Uganda, remained into. Documents, computers and cameras remanded in prison. The government appeal were stolen. against the Constitutional Court’s decision A petition challenging the constitutionality that Thomas Kwoyelo was entitled to amnesty of the Non-Governmental Organizations under the Amnesty Act of 2000 remained Registration (Amendment) Act filed in 2006 pending before the Supreme Court. A remained pending. Proposals made in 2013 complaint submitted by Thomas Kwoyelo to further amend the NGO Law ostensibly to to the African Commission on Human and expand government control over NGO funding Peoples’ Rights challenging his continued and activities remained pending before the detention by the Ugandan government Cabinet. Authorities also proposed a Civic remained pending. Education Policy which if adopted would mean that any programmes to provide civic education - including on human rights - would need accreditation at the district level. Organizations deemed in breach of the policy UKRAINE could have their activities suspended for up to six months, have their accreditation revoked, Ukraine or even blacklisted. Head of state: Petro Poroshenko (replaced Oleksandr Turchynov in June, who replaced Viktor POLICE AND SECURITY FORCES Yanukovych in February) In July, groups of armed men staged violent Head of government: Arseniy Yatsenyuk (replaced attacks mainly on police posts in Bundibugyo, Mykola Azarov in February) Kasese and Ntoroko. At least 65 people were killed in the attacks, including civilians, some of the attackers, and members of the police Violence resulting from the protests in the force and the army. Following the outbreak capital Kyiv and later in eastern Ukraine of conflict in South Sudan, Ugandan troops escalated into a civil conflict with Russian were deployed to Juba city in December 2013 involvement. Violations by police, including in response to a request by the South Sudan torture and other ill-treatment as well as government to help secure the capital. In abusive use of force during demonstrations, January, Ugandan troops were present in Bor, continued with near-total impunity for the Jonglei state, where they supported the South perpetrators, while investigations into such Sudan authorities to regain control of the incidents remained ineffective. Abductions city from opposition forces. Ugandan troops of individuals were carried out, particularly remained in South Sudan throughout 2014. by pro-Russian paramilitaries in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE and by both warring sides in eastern Ukraine International Criminal Court arrest warrants affected by conflict. Both sides violated the issued in 2005 remained in force for Joseph laws of war. In Crimea, Russian restrictions

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