Torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment degrades and humiliates individuals, stripping away their dignity. We work to end torture in Uganda in all its forms.
The year when Uganda’s Parliament enacted the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, a law prohibiting and criminalising torture.
The average number of new torture allegations documented by the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims.
At least 54 civilians were killed by government security forces in extrajudicial killings during the November 2020 Kampala protests.
Human dignity is the intrinsic worth and respect every person deserves simply by being human. It includes the freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and the right to life.
Human dignity is crucial because it underpins the absolute prohibition of torture, the right to life, and other fundamental rights and freedoms. Torture destroys a person’s dignity by inflicting severe physical or mental pain, violating their inherent worth. Protecting human dignity ensures freedom from torture, upholds the right to life, and maintains respect for fundamental human rights.
Torture is the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering on a person, often to obtain information, a confession, punish, intimidate, or coerce, whether by a public official or other private person.
Torture is absolutely prohibited under the law. It can never be justified, whether during war, public emergency, or any other circumstance.
Chapter Four works to end torture through raising awareness, advocating for the enforcement of the law, fighting impunity, and filing strategic cases to challenge practices that involve torture. We further work in the courts to provide legal representation to survivors of torture to seek accountability.
Chapter Four works to end extrajudicial killings by advocating for accountability, justice, transparency, and protection of the right to life. We document incidents of unlawful killings, empower communities, challenge impunity, and bring cases to court to hold perpetrators to account.
Human dignity in Uganda faces significant challenges, especially concerning torture and extrajudicial killings. Despite constitutional guarantees, reports reveal recurring instances of torture by security forces, including systematic beatings, electric shocks, submersion of the victim’s head in water, being forced to assume a fixed stressful body position, blindfolding, solitary confinement, and incommunicado detention, among others. Extrajudicial killings further remain a critical human rights concern, often linked to efforts to suppress dissent and political opposition. These violations violate the inherent worth and respect every person deserves, eroding the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. There is an urgent need to strengthen accountability, enforce legal protections, and promote respect for human dignity. Addressing these violations is essential for Uganda to uphold its human rights commitments and respect the rule of law.
