Police in Uganda detained 11 female lawmakers on Thursday on suspicion of staging an unauthorized rally. Some of the lawmakers were harmed during their incarceration.
The parliamentarians were detained outside the Kampala parliament buildings on their way to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send a letter of protest to the minister in charge.
Female lawmakers organized many rallies in their districts in recent weeks, and police dispersed them with what protestors described as disproportionate force and brutality.
I am shocked by the arrests of 11 female MPs by police this morning when they were unarmed and quietly demonstrating. Some victims were severed at the waist, while others are bleeding to death. The arrests, according to Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, “looked like they were targeting terrorists.”
Their incarceration outside Parliament’s gates was utterly unprovoked. If someone can be stationed outside the House of Representatives with the explicit intention of beating defenseless people, I have severe concerns about our safety.
The lawmakers, who were all dressed in black, were shown in viral social media footage fighting to force their way into a car.
A police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, denied charges that cops used excessive force. He said that while fighting arrest, the politicians harmed many police personnel.
He said they were arrested for unauthorized protest and released on bail by police.
Ugandan security personnel have been accused of violence multiple times over the years, typically against people who oppose the country’s long-serving leader, Yoweri Museveni.
