Rights group condemns Uganda's actions against civil society

KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda’s recent move to ban 54 NGOs is the latest government action to undermine and harass the country’s civil society, global monitor Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.

The Ugandan government announced on Aug. 20 that it had stopped operations of the civil society groups, which include human rights and election monitoring organizations.

Various reasons, including expired permits and failure to file annual returns, were cited as the reason for the decision.

“The measures taken against these organizations demonstrates once again the Uganda government’s disregard for civil society,” Oryem Nyeko, HRW’s Africa researcher, said in a statement.

“Rather than preventing them from doing their work, the authorities should be seeking ways to quickly resolve any compliance issues they may have and support them in their work.”

HRW said the move is “just the latest government action to undermine civil society in Uganda,” citing several examples from 2016 to 2021.

“Uganda’s constitution guarantees the right to freedom of association, but these latest steps only compound the Uganda government’s already troubling restrictions on civic space,” said Nyeko.

“Instead of harassing rights groups, the government should fulfill its obligation not just to respect the activities of civil society but to provide an environment in which it can flourish.”

HRW urged Ugandan authorities to “facilitate a positive working environment” for civil society groups and “ensure that any regulation fully respects the right to freedom of association.”

‘HRW should be realistic’

The Ugandan government was quick to dismiss the assertions made by HRW, saying that civil society groups are bound to follow any country’s rules.

“HRW should be realistic. Everywhere worldwide, NGOs have to abide by a country’s laws and guidelines,” said Daniel Mugasha, a senior leader of the ruling National Resistance Movement.

“Instead of blaming authorities in Uganda, HRW should advise these NGOs to make sure that they comply with Uganda’s laws.”