Uganda

Concerns about violations of freedom of association, assembly, and expression continued during and after Uganda’s February 2016 elections. President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, was declared the winner, giving him another five year term. Opposition presidential candidates faced arrest, detention, and obstructions. Police blocked some candidates’ access to media and public meetings. Police arrested and beat journalists attempting to report on the house arrest for over a month of opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. A new nongovernmental organizations law includes vague “special obligations” of independent groups – provisions that could make organizations vulnerable to politically motivated charges. Although the Anti-Homosexuality Act was overturned by a constitutional challenge in 2014, government officials continue to voice their support for it.