[JURIST] Torture was the human rights abuse most commonly alleged in Uganda in 2006, according to a report expected to be released in August by the Uganda Human Rights Commission [governing statute, PDF; ILO backgrounder]. The annual report, obtained by AP, found that 320 individuals filed formal complaints against the Ugandan government authorities for "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment," representing 26 percent of all complaints filed with the commission. Ugandan police spokesperson Asan Kasingye confirmed that torture was a problem, saying that insufficient training, particularly in rural areas was a major cause. Kasingye said that the government has established a "Professional Standards Unit" to ensure better training and that the government has taken disciplinary actions against the individuals responsible for the human rights abuses. AP has more.

In 2004, the Commission reported that Uganda's security services regularly tortured individuals [JURIST report] in their operations. The report found that torture was "either presented as part of training, or a learned practice" throughout security forces in Uganda [JURIST news archive].