The United States government has expressed concern at the Ugandan government’s handling of a walk to wok protest by opposition politicians where many opposition leaders were arrested and charged on Monday.
Mark C. Toner
The US deputy spokesman for the State Department, Mark C. Toner says the US government is concerned about Monday’s arrest and charging of Forum for Democratic Change President, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Democratic party president, Norbert Mao and several top opposition politicians who were walking to their places of work.
The opposition politicians organized a walk to work protest against the rising cost of living in Uganda saying many people can no longer afford transport fares and basic needs including food. The police had warned the opposition against the walk to work protest, which Inspector general of Polcie Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura said was illegal and intended to destabilize Kampala city. The police went ahead and arrested over 20 politicians who ‘risked; walking to their places of work.
But the US government is warning that the Uganda government must respect the Opposition’s right to express its viewpoints and citizens’ rights to demonstrate peacefully and without fear of intimidation.
In a Statement on Tuesday, the US government said that “freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights and a critical component of modern, functioning democracies.”