Uganda Law Society (ULS) has condemned the Uganda Police Force for unleashing dogs at opposition supporters at campaign rallies in their attempt to disperse crowds.
According to the lawyers, the police actions violate constitutional guarantees to peaceful assembly and raise serious concerns about the state of democratic policing in Uganda.
“Historically, police dog deployment during public protests carries a deeply oppressive legacy. During apartheid, South African police developed a ‘terrifying police-dog regime’ as a tool of the white supremacists to enforce racial segregation and suppress resistance from Black populations,” said ULS vice president, Mr Anthony Asiimwe.
Mr Asiimwe’s Tuesday statement was issued hours after the police and the military on Monday heavily deployed uniformed and non-uniformed security operatives, as well as sniffer dogs at National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi’s campaign rally.
Some dog handlers were seen setting the canines on the opposition supporters.
According to Mr Asiimwe, the deployment of police dogs at political rallies today reflects a continuity with colonial and apartheid-era practices in which animals are weaponised to instil fear and enforce authoritarian control.
“Unleashing dogs in a campaign rally is a tool of threat, fear, and force, and this must not be tolerated,” he said.
He also raised alarm over what he described as “indiscriminate and arbitrary arrests” in Kawempe Division, Kampala, which is considered to be an opposition stronghold.
Several civilians, including individuals merely using public roads near the campaign venue, were allegedly apprehended without cause.
“These arrests undermine the rule of law, violate constitutional rights to liberty and due process, and erode public trust in law-enforcement institutions,” ULS said.
The lawyers’ body issued a set of demands to the government and security agencies, including an immediate halt to the use of dogs at political events, the unconditional release of innocent civilians arrested in Kawempe, and strict adherence to constitutional policing standards that respect human dignity.
“If the state permits law-enforcement agencies to unleash living creatures as tools of political coercion, what does that say about the rule of law?” Mr Asiimwe asked, adding that: “Such intimidation tactics are unacceptable in a democratic society.”
