Amnesty International reported on Monday that Ugandan security forces unlawfully targeted opposition rallies with excessive force and arbitrary arrests, with some attendees subject to torture and other mistreatment.

Documented incidents included the use of tear gas, pepper spray and beatings directed at peaceful crowds in the localities of Kawempe and Iganga in November. An eyewitness in Kawempe described use of dogs to “intimidate the crowd,” rifles used as blunt-force weapons, and beatings with batons and wires. An attendee in Iganga said the officers blocked an exit to the area with their truck before opening fire on the crowd, resulting in at least one death and numerous injuries.

Other measures discussed include road closures and diversions of protestors onto longer routes, and the arrests of over 400 people for attending the rallies or supporting political opposition.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, stressed the implications of the security officers’ behavior, stating:

The authorities have launched a brutal campaign of repression against the opposition and its supporters, making it extremely difficult for them to exercise their rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The Ugandan authorities must uphold their human rights obligations and allow the opposition to hold its campaign rallies without undue restrictions and without subjecting their leaders and supporters to arrests, torture, or other ill-treatment.

Police are required by international law to initially employ non-violent means for crowd control. When force is required, it must be proportional to the seriousness of the offense and seek to minimize potential injury.

After the incidents, Ugandan authorities claimed that police responded in kind after attendees had stoned police and vandalized their vehicles. However, eyewitnesses reported that crowds were peaceful and “only carried the Ugandan national flag.”

National rallies have continued leading up to the January 15 election. President Yoweri Museveni has indicated an intent to extend his 40-year rule. He faces a challenge in leading opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, or Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Party.

Wine has repeatedly spoken out against the repression faced by his supporters, and has likened his campaign to a battle, saying, “Our campaign is not the ordinary campaign. We are almost at war. You can see the soldiers and vehicles deployed. These people even knock and kill our supporters.”

Museveni spoke in a recent interview on his lengthy rule but “did not directly address” the criticisms of his crackdowns on political rivals and dissent.

Amnesty International called for “impartial and thorough investigations” into the alleged incidents, with use of fair trials and no recourse to the death penalty. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk similarly urged Ugandan authorities to investigate and end the repression in a December press release.

Museveni declared himself president in 1986 after he led a rebellion to topple General Tito Okello’s military regime, and has held power since. Similar crackdowns have taken place during past elections, including an internet shutdown amid protests in 2021.