Uganda: Government terminates mandate of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
On 3 February 2023 the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it will not renew the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Uganda. The Ministry reportedly noted advancements in Uganda’s own ability to monitor and protect human rights within its borders as the primary justification for the decision.
The termination comes in the wake of criticism for various alleged rights violations in the country, and a year after the Ugandan military police attacked and injured journalists who were reporting on the delivery of a petition to the OHCHR by Bobi Wine, a leading opposition leader, alleging human rights violations.
The OHCHR was established in Uganda in 2005 and has provided monitoring support, training for human rights defenders and journalists, advocacy efforts and capacity building to assist with the backlog in the military courts. The OHCHR in Uganda has yet to release a statement in response to the decision.
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