The Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday expressed concern over the arrest of well-known government critic Sarah Bireete in Uganda ahead of the country’s upcoming elections.
Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz stated: “Sarah Bireete’s arrest is a demonstration of the Uganda government’s continuing intolerance of dissent. The Ugandan authorities should release Bireete, drop all charges against her, and respect the rights to freedom of expression and political participation.”
Bireete is the executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance and a vocal critic of President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. She was detained by security forces at her home and charged with “unlawfully obtaining or disclosing personal data.” Budoo-Scholtz said that the activist was held beyond the maximum lawful 48-hour period before being brought before a court, with a bail hearing scheduled for after the election.
The arrest occurs against the backdrop of legal and institutional constraints that rights advocates say have eroded the prerequisites of free and fair elections. Uganda’s electoral history, marked by seven consecutive electoral victories by the incumbent, has repeatedly drawn scrutiny for deficiencies in competitiveness and institutional independence. The UN has documented a broad range of legislative and administrative measures, including amendments to anti-terrorism laws, public order controls, and the Computer Misuse Act, that have shrunk the democratic and civic space, curtailed freedoms of expression and assembly, and facilitated arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention, and restrictions on opposition activity.
The upcoming January elections have been deemed “senseless” by the Council on Foreign Relations, which stated that the electoral exercise serves less as an instrument of accountability and more as a reinforcement of incumbent power, designed to entrench the 40-year-long tenure of Museveni. In the lead-up to the elections, authorities have responded to opposition rallies with force, imposed media restrictions, and detained prominent political figures. Observers have noted an intensified repression against opposition parties and civil society, with serious security responses to political rallies, media coverage constraints, and judicial harassment of dissenters.
During the 2021 elections, the government imposed a nationwide internet shutdown lasting five days. In this context, reports of attempted internet restrictions in the current pre-election period have renewed concerns regarding access to information and electoral transparency. Rights groups note that Bireete’s arrest, therefore, is a part of a repeated pattern of state behavior that severely impacts both the electoral legitimacy and the rule of law in the country.
