By: Aryampa Brighton
Worth Noting:
- In 2020, Hon. Lyandro Komakech, MP Gulu Municipality tabled a private members bill seconded by Hon. Silas Aogon MP Kumi Municipality of the Human Rights Defenders bill 202.
- This is the law that Uganda needs to pass to protect HRDs and their work to tackle climate crisis and protect Uganda’s natural resources for generations. This bill seeks to provide a framework for the recognition and protection of the work and activities of Human rights defenders in order to guarantee a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders to freely operate upon a realization that the promotion and protection of human rights is a shared responsibility between the state and non-state actors.
Over the past few years there has been a growing concern, both locally and internationally on the increased violations of fundamental human rights and freedom. With Increasing global climatic chaos, Uganda like any other country is facing massive pressure with emerging climate activists and g youth climate groups calling the government to take climate issues seriously with immediate action. With historical oil dreams and heavily investment in extractives, the Ugandan government has found itself on both physical and digital loggerheads with many climate activists demanding for just transition efforts and renewable energy investments rather than heavily investments in fossil fuel projects (The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, Tilenga, Kingfisher and the Oil refinery). From September 2022 when the European Parliament adopted joint motion for a resolution on violations of human rights in Uganda and Tanzania linked to investments in fossil fuels projects, the police have had to deal with peaceful protests either in front of parliament of Uganda, European offices, Offices oil companies, Chinese embassies and others.
The office of the Director of Public Prosecution and Ugandan courts have found themselves in a position to prosecute and charge the climate activists and environmental lovers on “non-existing laws” respectively. Apparently, the activists have either been changed to public/common nuisance or incitement to violence for no activist or Human Rights Defender has been convicted. On the contrary over three similar cases that I am working on have been dismissed for want of prosecution. The state has on all occasions failed to adduce evidence to prove the slapped up charges.
In addition to National Climate Change bill that was passed in 2021 to cut the Greenhouse emissions and tackle climate crisis, Uganda through parliament must enact a legal climate pertinent to the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) which is currently very increasingly restrictive.
In 2020, Hon. Lyandro Komakech, MP Gulu Municipality tabled a private members bill seconded by Hon. Silas Aogon MP Kumi Municipality of the Human Rights Defenders bill 202. This is the law that Uganda needs to pass to protect HRDs and their work to tackle climate crisis and protect Uganda’s natural resources for generations. This bill seeks to provide a framework for the recognition and protection of the work and activities of Human rights defenders in order to guarantee a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders to freely operate upon a realization that the promotion and protection of human rights is a shared responsibility between the state and non-state actors.
This law is very important because it recognizes, promotes and enhances the protection of the work and activities of human rights defenders through imposing specific obligations on the Government to recognize, protect and promote the work and activities of HRDs, expounds the functions of HRDs beyond merely bringing action against the violation of another person’s or group’s human rights and freedoms but also being actively engaged in their recognition, promotion and protection. I urge government through its parliamentary arm with mandate to enact laws under article 98 of the supreme law to pass the law to create a Uganda in which individuals, communities, groups and people are able to exercise their fundamental human rights, determining and pursuing their own priorities about their lives, their futures, their lands and natural resources.
Aryampa Brighton.
aryampa.brighton@gmail.com / baryampa@ygcug.org
The writer is a lawyer and Chief Executive Officer, Youth for Green Communities (YGC).
