STATE TORTURE
Insecurity in Uganda
today brings back frightening memories of our bloody past complete with its “ganda
gari” traits. Except that for this one, it is panda Kamunye – matatu used by plain
clothed state operators to kidnap victims of its violent arrests.
We should be frightened that the state
operators, rather than criminals are selecting gross violation of human rights,
torture and all forms of incivility as a political tool contrary to all
international treatise against torture and inhuman treatment that Uganda is
signatory.
This torture video clips
that confront us every day, such as that of Yusuf Kawoya, arrested of persons
for hosting opposition leaders, and many others, only loops us back to the Idi
Amin’s days of horror.
Uganda is on its path to
a catastrophe because soon this insecurity will engulf the nation as people
will start to roll back their cooperation with the state. For now, the population
seems frozen in fear of this iron fist totalitarianism. At its climax, people
will unfreeze and become insurgent to the state as they did to Amin and
dictators elsewhere.
The ripple effect of violent
arrest and torture of Hon. Kyagulanyi with 33 others from Arua's by-elections
should have restrained this belligerent regime from its extra-judicial domains.
The state may have monopoly over violence and coercion, however, there must be
sufficient justification for applying that brute force. Mass arrests and
torturing supporters of #Peoplepower or murdering those Muslim clerics will not
solve Uganda’s woes. The problems we face today – the agitation, violence,
criminality, corruption and dereliction of duties by state and non-state actors,
have roots in the pervasive economic inequality and entrenchment.
Recently, I asked a
People Power adherent whether she had heard of Panda Gari. She had not. I
concluded that she must be one of the “Bazukulus” (grandchildren or the
bushwar). I asked if she is familiar now with Panda Kamunye, the Yusuf Kawooya
situation, and she frowned. Reality had hit her. There was no need to explain
what panda Kamunye was, except the parallel with Amin’s operations.
Hon. Winnie Byanyiima
once twitted that Museveni’s regime is a mixed basket of good and bad. The bad
are the episodes of those old dark days of violence when human life was easily dispensable,
human where mere biological substances, and security was a variation of insecurity.
The last two years were unique for Museveni in
his effort to undo Amin’s days of terror and horror. It has been a near daily
experience that Ugandans are violently arrested, harasses, kidnapped and killed
in broad daylight. The helplessness on the faces of those who watch these atrocities,
or the ones who have to bear the agony of their lost ones are even more
horrifying.
Nowadays, people get
frozen – powerlessly watching impunity unveil before their eyes. They even
leave and return to their homes more disempowered, demoralized and dehumanized.
The way people fear to be victims of crime is nearly commensurate with the fear
to witness crime. It leads to immense psychological suffering which becomes
embedded in transgenerational trauma and mental illness. Fear is disempowering,
and to watch a fellow citizen die, humiliated, reduced like an object conjures
a profound sense of powerlessness for law abiding citizens.
Interestingly, dictator
Museveni normalizes, justifies and encourages such impunity as an act of self-defense.
Ugandans are, by any
means, a very resilient people that have encountered many traumatic episodes
since independence. However, the abuse of the citizens, and the havoc that the
Museveni regime is wrecking on our people, the economy and whatever residual public
institutions left, must be halted.
Uganda is certainly an unsafe
destination for tourists, investors, researchers – not even for Ugandans in the
diaspora already shortlisted for arrests upon arrival at the airport for
demonstrating against savagery of the state.
No one should panda
kamunye for holding opposing ideas in Uganda.
End
No comments:
Post a Comment