The Uganda Human Rights Commission chairperson Mariam Wangandya has said that, as a commission while carrying out investigations, they have never come across any detention facility designated as a torture chamber.
According to Wangandya, while speaking in Kampala on issues concerning the state of human rights in Uganda, she revealed that they monitor places of detention to access and monitor the conditions of the detainees.
“We have never come across any detention facility designated as a torture chamber. The human rights situation in the country is normal. Actually, we are doing better than many countries in the world,” Wangandya said.
She noted that state institutions need to come out and speak louder about what they are doing with respect to human rights. She added that, as far as the commission is concerned, they do thorough investigations and make their reports public.
Wangadya further explained that human rights cut across all political parties; they are not the preserve of a selected group of people.
“I would request that the human rights of everyone, whether opposition or state individuals, be put at the same level and defended equally,” she said.
Wangandya added that, for instance, when the commission asked the National Unity Platform (NUP) to provide a list of the 1000 alleged abducted persons, they only provided 30 names, 12 of whom were facing trial, while the rest were out on bail.
“Our regional budget was exhausted when we did the investigation into the 30 alleged missing persons,” she added.
According to Wandaya, the UHRC mandate is well spelled out under Article 52(1) of the Constitution. With 12 regional offices and 11 field offices, there is a toll-free line where all complaints can be received and tracked.
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