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 ................................................................................................................... 11.16 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.............................................................................