President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has defended his government’s decision to close the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country.
During a press conference at the Uganda-South Africa investment forum in Pretoria on Wednesday, he was responding to a journalist who questioned Uganda’s decision to close OHCHR operations.
“This is due to the Ugandan Human Rights Commission, which is established by the constitution. Having others who are not part of our constitutional system is not only unnecessary but also distracting “Mr. Museveni made the remarks during a press conference broadcast on South Africa’s state-run television SABC.
“Instead of reporting to the appropriate authorities, they go to the United Nations. What can the United Nations do in Uganda? They lack the ability to impose sanctions “He went on to say
Uganda’s foreign ministry announced on 3 February that the government would not renew the OCHCR’s mandate, which was set to expire at the end of March.
The ministry stated in a letter to the OHCHR headquarters that Uganda had developed the capacity to monitor, promote, and protect human rights without the need for external assistance.
Uganda’s decision to close the UN office has been condemned as “shameful” by rights activists and campaigners.
Critics see the move as the government’s response to growing scrutiny over abuses such as torture, forced disappearances, abductions, indefinite detention without trial, and re-arrests of people who have been legally released by the courts.
