UGANDA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service Date 20 April 2011 UGANDA DATE Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN UGANDA FROM 3 FEBRUARY TO 20 APRIL 2011 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON UGANDA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 3 FEBRUARY AND 20 APRIL 2011 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Map ........................................................................................................................ 1.06 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Political developments: 1962 – early 2011 ......................................................... 3.01 Conflict with Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA): 1986 to 2010.............................. 3.07 Amnesty for rebels (Including LRA combatants) .............................................. 3.09 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................................... 4.01 Kampala bombings July 2010 ............................................................................. 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION.......................................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 6.01 Executive Branch ................................................................................................. 6.02 Legislative Branch................................................................................................ 6.03 Political parties..................................................................................................... 6.06 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Police..................................................................................................................... 8.03 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.09 Other government forces..................................................................................... 8.12 Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT)............................................................. 8.14 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 8.16 Arbitrary arrest and detention............................................................................. 8.19 Torture, ill-treatment and the use of excessive force.......................................... 8.27 Extra-judicial killings and disappearances.......................................................... 8.35 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.40 Uganda Police Force human rights desk............................................................ 8.44 Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC)..................................................... 8.45 9. JUDICIARY................................................................................................................ 9.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 9.01 Independence ....................................................................................................... 9.03 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 9.09 Penal code ............................................................................................................ 9.13 10. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 10.01 11. CONDITIONS IN PRISON AND OTHER PLACES OF DETENTION .......................................... 11.01 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 2 February 2011. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 20 April 2011. 20 APRIL 2011 UGANDA Female prisoners.................................................................................................. 11.15 Children................................................................................................................. 11.17 12. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 12.01 13. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 13.01 Freedom of political expression.......................................................................... 13.01 Freedom of association and assembly............................................................... 13.05 Political groups and parties ................................................................................ 13.07 FDC: Forum for Democratic Change.................................................................. 13.07 14. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA............................................................................... 14.01 Media laws ........................................................................................................... 14.06 Television and radio broadcasts......................................................................... 14.07 Journalists............................................................................................................ 14.08 Internet freedom ................................................................................................... 14.11 15. Human rights institutions, organisations and activists ............................................ 15.01 Uganda human rights commission..................................................................... 15.04 16. CORRUPTION............................................................................................................ 16.01 17. RELIGIOUS GROUPS................................................................................................... 17.01 Demography ......................................................................................................... 17.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 17.02 Position/treatment of religious groups............................................................... 17.06 18. ETHNIC GROUPS ....................................................................................................... 18.01 Demography ......................................................................................................... 18.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 18.02 Position/treatment of groups .............................................................................. 18.03 Batwa..................................................................................................................... 18.04 Karamoja ............................................................................................................... 18.05 19. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS (LGBT) ................................. 19.01 Legal rights ........................................................................................................... 19.01 LGB persons......................................................................................................... 19.03 Anti-Homosexuality Bill ....................................................................................... 19.09 2011 Update on the Bill...................................................................................... 19.17 Transgender persons........................................................................................... 19.18 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities............................................... 19.19 Societal treatment and attitudes ......................................................................... 19.24 Rolling Stone newspaper ................................................................................... 19.29 LGBT groups ........................................................................................................ 19.34 Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG).............................................................. 19.34 Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) .................................................................... 19.38 Gay Rights Uganda............................................................................................ 19.39 20. WOMEN ................................................................................................................... 20.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 20.01 Socio and economic statistics ............................................................................ 20.02 Legal rights ..........................................................................................................