United States Department of State

Uganda: Human Rights United States Department of State

Publisher Marketing: Uganda is a constitutional republic led since 1986 by President Yoweri Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. Voters reelected Museveni to a fourth five-year term in 2011. While the election marked an improvement over previous elections, it was marred by irregularities. Authorities usually maintained effective control over the state security forces (SSF). The SSF committed human rights abuses. The three most serious human rights problems in the country were a lack of respect for the integrity of the person (including unlawful killings, torture, and other abuse of suspects and detainees); restrictions on civil liberties (including freedom of assembly, the media, and association); and violence and discrimination against marginalized groups, such as women (including female genital mutilation/cutting), children (including sexual abuse and ritual killing), persons with disabilities, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Other human rights problems included harsh prison conditions, arbitrary and politically motivated arrest and detention, incommunicado and lengthy pretrial detention, restrictions on the right to a fair trial, restrictions on freedom of press, electoral irregularities, official corruption, mob violence, trafficking in persons, and forced labor, including child labor. The SSF and other government agents committed human rights abuses, generally with impunity. The government convicted and sentenced perpetrators in several cases, including some from previous years.