KAMPALA, Uganda — The U.N. Human Rights Office said Friday that a presidential election in Uganda next week would be “marked by widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition and others.
Ugandan authorities in the East African country have used lawfare, including military legislation, to restrict the activities of politicians and others before voting on Jan. 15, the Geneva-based Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, or OHCHR, said in a new report.
“Next week’s elections in Uganda will take place in an environment marked by widespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views,” OHCHR said.
Ugandan police, the military and others have used live ammunition to disperse peaceful assemblies, and the security forces have often used unmarked vans known locally as “drones” to abduct opposition party supporters, the report said.
“The Ugandan authorities must ensure all Ugandans can participate fully and safely in the election, as is their right under international law,” Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement. “They must, among others, ensure that no unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force, is used to disperse peaceful protests.”
Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on allegations in the U.N. report.
The report also cites the ongoing detention of opp