The European Union has joined a growing number of international voices calling for a probe into Ugandan election abuses and violence that left more than 40 people dead in the lead up to the polls.
Opposition candidates were harassed by security forces, the media was suppressed by the government, and observers’ offices were raided, said the EU Council of Ministers in a statement on Wednesday.
“I thank all friends in Uganda and abroad who continue to stand with us until we put an end to this indignity,” he said in a tweet on Thursday.
Human rights groups spoke out against Wine’s detention and the political climate in the country as President Museveni embarked on an election victory tour of the country Thursday.
“It is neither a crime to stand for president nor to want to challenge the election results in court,” said the regional director of the human rights NGO, Deprose Muchena, in a statement.
In the weeks leading up to the election, there were several incidences of violence and human rights violations said Human Rights Watch.
“The abuses included killings by security forces, arrests and beatings of opposition supporters and journalists, disruption of opposition rallies, and a shutdown of the internet,” said the international human rights NGO in a statement.
Museveni’s senior press secretary, Don Wanyama, referred CNN to the police when contacted about Wine’s house arrest, implying that the President knew nothing about the detention.
The police said in a tweet they made arrangements with Wine to access his lawyers on Tuesday, but they claim he refused to meet them.
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor for United States President-elect Joe Biden, described the house arrest as “deeply concerning” on Sunday.
The internet shutdown was needed to “stop the vitriolic language and incitement to violence,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a tweet on Wednesday.
