Amnesty International has warned the Ugandan government against silencing people opposed to plans to scrap the presidential age limit in the country.
The motion, it said, was taken to the parliament for debate on Thursday.
Citing a number of harassment of some groups and individuals opposed to the proposal, Amnesty International said people should be allowed to express their opinions on the issue.
“It is ironic and absurd that as the bill is tabled in parliament, the government is blocking citizens from debating the issue,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.
“All Ugandans must be allowed to freely express their views for or against issues of national importance to them. The actions the government is taking in this case amount to criminalising dissent and contravene both Ugandan and international law.”
Citing instances of government’s attempt to silence those opposed to the motion, Amnesty International said the mayor of the country’s capital, Kampala, was arrested by the police and bundled into a pick-up truck outside his home on suspicion that he was headed to a protest against the proposed change.
It added that some opposition legislators were blocked from accessing parliament to participate in the debate, which has now been postponed.
ActionAid, an international NGO that works to combat poverty and injustice, according to Amnesty International was also raided on the same grounds.
It is believed that the ruling party plans to amend the constitution to remove the presidential age limit of 75 years of age.
The move is widely seen as a way of allowing incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, 73, to stand for President again in 2021.
