UN panel says it's concerned about human rights violations in Uganda in recent years

Human rights violations in Uganda in recent years ranging from the arrest of government opponents to extrajudicial killings have raised the concern of a panel of United Nations experts

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Human rights violations including extrajudicial killings in Uganda in recent years have raised the concern of a panel of United Nations experts.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee in findings released Wednesday also urged authorities in the East African country to repeal a recently enacted law that prescribes the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

The committee pointed to reports of arbitrary arrests and detention by police and security forces targeting political opponents, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, sex workers, and LGBTQ+ people.

The panel's report was its first review of Uganda since 2004.

A government spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the committee's findings.

Uganda's security forces face growing allegations of brutality in their encounters with perceived opponents of the government of President Yoweri Museveni, a U.S. ally who has held power since 1986.

Cases of extrajudicial killings “should be looked upon and perpetrators punished,” the U.N. panel said, urging Uganda’s security forces to “stick strictly to the principles of necessity and proportionality.”

The opposition National Unity Platform party has led calls for Museveni and some members of his security personnel to face possible criminal charges at the International Criminal Court. While Museveni has condemned some security personnel for using excessive force when dealing with civilians, his critics say he should be held responsible for abuses committed under his watch.

A new law targeting homosexuals has put Uganda under an intense international spotlight. The law, which has wide support at home, has been criticized by rights activists and economic benefactors including the World Bank. The U.S. has warned of economic consequences over legislation described by Amnesty International as “draconian and overly broad.”

“We don’t understand this law,” Jose Manuel Santos Pais, a member of the U.N. committee, said Wednesday. He added that his panel was “appalled” by the legislation.

Homosexuality is criminalized in more than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries. Some Africans see it as behavior imported from abroad and not a sexual orientation.