According to a report by the New York Times, more than 200 testimonies of people who accuse President Museveni, his son, and other top Ugandan Government officials of torture, killings, and other crimes against humanity have been submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The New York Times reported that this was revealed by a lawyer on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, and that “the filing is an effort to bring international scrutiny to what human rights observers have called a brutal government crackdown on opposition groups and activists in the East African nation in the months before and after the country’s bloody 2021 elections.”
The submitted file contains accusations against 26 top Government officials, including the President and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
It should be noted that Uganda, especially during presidential elections, has experienced violence that has led to the deaths of quite a number of people. For instance, during the 2021 presidential elections, over 50 people were killed while protesting against the government of Uganda’s brutality and detention of opposition figurehead Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
The deputy presidential press secretary, Farouk Kirunda, however, dismissed the allegations, saying they had been falsely crafted by political opponents whose main goal was to tarnish the image of the President of Uganda.
Andrew Mwenda, Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s spokesperson, while talking to the American-based newspaper, said, “Were they tortured? YES! Who directed it? We need to find out. It makes sense for them to accuse a son of the president since it increases the profile of their case.”
