Uganda: Increasing harassment against Students for Global Democracy and its members

The Observatory has been informed about acts of harassment against the human rights organisation Students for Global Democracy (SGD) and its members, including the arbitrary arrest and subsequent release of SGD Founder and Policy Advisor, Mr Mike Gesa Munabi, and SGD field officer, Mr Johnbosco Mutyaba. SGD is a student-led non-profit and non-partisan organisation founded in 2005 that inspires young people, principally students, to adopt and promote principles of leadership, good governance and sustainability with the goal of greater youth participation in democratic processes and sustainable development efforts in Uganda and the outside world.

On July 23, 2024, Johnbosco Mutyaba, was arrested at the Central Police Station in Kampala as he sought the release of pro-democracy student activists, with whom SGD works as part of their Uganda university chapters. The students had been arrested following the #march2parliament protests that took place the same day against the rampant corruption in government institutions, especially the Ugandan Parliament. Mr Mutyaba was released on the same evening on police bond without any charge.

Previously, on June 21, 2024, Mike Gesa Munabi was arrested by the police in Iganga, north-east of Kampala, and subsequently released on state bond on June 22, 2024. The trumped-up accusations laid against him are “inciting violence” and “offensive communication”, which appear to be related to Mike Gesa Munabi’s stances for democracy, human rights and good governance, and particularly to his support of 50 pro-democracy youth activists who had been arrested by the authorities on August 27, 2023 and September 2023. Upon his release from prison, Mr Gesa Munabi was instructed to report to the police on a monthly basis until his case is dismissed or sanctioned for a court hearing. On July 7, 2024, he reported to the police for the first time, and his police release bond was extended to August 9, 2024 when he will have to report back on the status of his case. His case has not been sanctioned for court hearing and therefore, at the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, no date has yet been set for any court appearance.

Messrs Mutyaba and Gesa Munabi’s arrests are only the latest instances of a widespread harassment against SGD and its members. The organisation was subjected to multiple break-ins into its offices on December 2, 2023 and December 19, 2023, during which several items of office equipment were vandalised and destroyed, as well as to acts of intimidation and surveillance of staff members by suspected government operatives. As a fervent defender of democracy and good governance, SGD has been particularly targeted and harassed, in a context of increasing tension ahead of the 2026 General elections. Mr Samuel Kayiwa, Project officer of the “Human Rights and Civic Space for Students” project of the NGO Global Democracy Uganda and supporter of SGD, has also been receiving threatening calls and has been followed by unknown people, which has caused fear and threats to his life.

Students for Global Democracy intends to lodge a complaint with the Uganda Human Rights Commission against the government for the continued harassment of their staff and members.

The Observatory recalls that this arrest is part of a persistent crackdown on human rights defenders, organisations and civil society in Uganda. The rights to freedom of expression and of association are particularly limited, and human rights defenders are subjected to moral and physical attacks, intimidation, threats and judicial harassment. The Observatory recalls that in May and June 2024, 11 human rights defenders suffered an alarming repression, including abduction, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and judicial, physical and moral harassment. The Observatory further recalls that in October 2021, several human rights organisations were subjected to acts of intimidation by the police of Uganda and several human rights defenders were arrested, including Joss Kaheero Mugisa, Robert Birimuye and six African Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) members. Furthermore, on August 20, 2021, AFIEGO, together with 53 other civil society organisations, got unduly suspended by the NGO Bureau on the grounds that the organisations were allegedly found to be “non-compliant with the NGO Act, 2016”.

The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and harassment of Students for Global Democracy Uganda staff members, which only appear to be aimed at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory further condemns the moral, physical and judicial harassment of Students for Global Democracy and its members.

The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, and any act of intimidation against Johnbosco Mutyaba, Mike Gesa Munabi, Samuel Kayiwa, and all Students for Global Democracy Uganda members, as well as against all human rights defenders in the country.

The Observatory also calls on the Ugandan authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the right to freedom of association as enshrined in international human rights law, and in particular Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 10 of the African Charter On Human And People's Rights, to which Uganda is a party.