Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has submitted a complaint to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN-WGAD) over the continued house arrest of Ugandan opposition figure, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
Wine, who was the major opposition leader during the just concluded presidential election in Uganda, has been reportedly detained by security operatives together with members of his family shortly after casting his vote.
He lost to Yoweri Museveni, incumbent president, in an election that was grossly characterised by security intimidation and rigging.
Mr Falana urged the UN-WGAD, an affiliate body of the global organisation, the United Nations (UN), to “initiate a procedure involving the investigation of the case of Mr. Wine together with his wife and his domestic staff”.
Aside from demanding the immediate release of Mr Wine and other detained persons, Mr Falana asked the group to “send an allegation letter to the Government of Uganda inquiring about the case generally” and raise specific questions “about the legal basis for his arrest, detention, and/or degrading treatment, each of which is in violation of international law”.
He asked the UN group to issue “an opinion declaring that the deprivation of liberty and detention of Mr Wine, together with his wife and domestic staff is arbitrary and in violation of Uganda’s Constitution and obligations under international human rights law”.
The human rights lawyer said, “Mr. Wine and his wife are being illegally detained for days without any criminal charges preferred against him. He has also been denied adequate supply of food by hundreds of Uganda military forces and policemen who have laid siege to his house for the umpteenth time since the election day.
“I am therefore seeking an opinion from the Working Group finding the house arrest and continuing detention of Mr. Wine and his wife to be arbitrary and in violation of Uganda’s Constitution of 1995 (as amended) and obligations under international human rights law including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Uganda is a state party.”
He called for “immediate and unconditional lifting of the house arrest enforced on Wine, his wife and domestic staff.”
He also requested that the Ugandan government investigate and hold accountable, all military and police officers and security agents suspected to be responsible for the unlawful arrest, continued detention, and degrading treatment of Wine, together with his wife and others.
The senior Nigerian lawyer also requested the Ugandan authorities to immediately withdraw the military and police forces currently laying siege in the premises of Mr Wine.
The lawyer also requested that Ugandan government award Wine, his wife and others “adequate compensation for the violations they have suffered as a result of their unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, and torture and other ill-treatment.”
Uganda election was marred by pre-election violence and the government’s use of security forces to crackdown on the opposition. No fewer than 50 people died during a protest after Bobi Wine was arrested during a campaign rally. We would later be arrested at least three other times.
Bobi Wine’s car was also shot at and his bodyguard killed by security forces.
On Monday, Wine in a tweet on Monday said he and his family had run out of food.
