Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine to seek presidency, chides West over rights
Wine criticised Western governments for not denouncing what he said were escalating human rights violations, including abductions, illegal detention and torture of his supporters and officials. Wine did not single out any country for criticism.
"Some leaders in the West are complicit in our suffering. They are here to crack their [business] deals and they don't care about human rights," he said. "If they were standing for the values that they profess, then they would be castigating all these gross human rights violations."
Uganda is considered by the West as an ally in the fight against jihadists and has deployed troops in Somalia.
Uganda's justice minister said this week that Eddie Mutwe, an activist in Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) party, who also doubles as his personal body guard, appeared to have been tortured while in captivity.
Museveni's son and head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said he had kept him in his basement and that he was using him as a punching bag. After being missing for a week Mutwe was on Monday produced in court, charged with robbery and remanded.
Wine said Mutwe told him he had been electrocuted, waterboarded and beaten.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituma did not respond to a Reuters call for comment on the allegations. Reuters contacted a spokesperson for Uganda's defence forces seeking comment from Kainerugaba. He did not respond.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 minutes ago
- The Star
US involvement in Iran's nuclear conflict: Unconfirmed claims and escalating tensions
US President Donald Trump has been accused of driving the country into war against Iran based on information that has never been confirmed. This after Trump took a dramatic step to insert the US into the fraught conflict between Iran and Israel, a conflict that has left mo re than 856 people dead and at least 3,396 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. The decision to directly involve the US in the war comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that aimed to systematically eradicate the country's air defences and offensive missile capabilities, while demanding a halt to its nuclear enrichment facilities. On Saturday evening, Trump announced that the US had attacked three sites tied to Iran's nuclear programme, warning Iran against retaliating. The strikes hit uranium enrichment sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. He expressed hope that his move would open the door to a more lasting peace, where Iran no longer had the potential to become a nuclear power. The Israel prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the strikes and congratulated Trump, saying his bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with 'the awesome and righteous might of the US will change history'. However, experts said Iran's nuclear programme does not exist. Civil nuclear engineer, Hugo Kruger, a South African who is based in Paris, said this is the propaganda that the US and Israel have pushed to attack Iran. He said it has not been confirmed that Iran has nuclear weapon capabilities, adding that Trump has driven the US into the war based on the information that has never been confirmed, even by the US intelligence agencies. He said this could be another narrative and a lie about another world war. 'Even the agencies did not confirm this, and Donald Trump at the moment, is driving the US into on the basis of information that has never been confirmed. He is spreading this incredible propaganda in the Western countries,' Kruger said. He said the US has the power to act against the nuclear programme and would have suspended it if it had existed. He said the US has legal and procedural frameworks for inspecting nuclear weapons, adding that this could also influence international laws. Kruger said this should be stopped, adding that South Africa and other countries must take a stance. 'This will stop the conflict because Israel will not be able to resist this pressure. They must do it through the United Nations,' he said. International relations expert, Dr Noluthando Phungula, said t he conflict is bound to harm the entire world, including South Africa. "Oil prices quickly surged up 7% by Friday afternoon and the attacks prompted an instantaneous reaction on the global markets. This will have a dire impact on the dependent developing world due to oil price increases, she said, adding that this also suggests that 'we' may be facing another period of sharply higher energy prices. 'Consequently, almost everything, petrol, gas, and food, will cost more.' She said this reality was seen during the Russia-Ukraine conflict a few years ago, affecting people's lives around the globe. Phungula also warned that other countries in the region could be drawn in, should the attacks continue. Meanwhile, the MK Party condemned the attack, saying it constitutes a direct violation of international law, sovereignty, and the foundational principles of peace, self-determination and non-intervention. The party said this is a declaration of war against the Iranian people, the majority of whom are innocent civilians. 'American officials, without shame or restraint, confirmed these strikes as deliberate and coordinated. President Donald Trump described the attacks as successful, a chilling reminder of how easily Western leaders disguise destruction as diplomacy. The US feigned diplomacy and struck in the dark. "The MK Party calls on the international community, especially the African Union, BRICS nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, to reject this new cycle of militarism and unilateral attacks on sovereign nations. As Iran prepares to defend itself, there has to be a reopening of diplomatic channels and full accountability for the lives lost and infrastructure destroyed,' the party said in a statement. President Cyril Ramaphosa also called on the three countries to give the UN an opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity. [email protected]
Eyewitness News
34 minutes ago
- Eyewitness News
EFF stands in solidarity with Iran after targeted US, Israel airstrikes: Malema
CAPE TOWN - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says his party stands in solidarity with Iran, which is facing airstrikes from the United States and Israel. Malema also says they won't be neutral in the face of an ongoing genocide in Gaza, as Israel continues its attacks on the Palestinian territory. He addressed the attacks on Iran while speaking in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, at the mass funeral of seven EFF members. Ten EFF members died in a bus accident while returning from a Youth Day rally last week. ALSO READ: Trump says US strikes 'obliterated' Iran nuclear sites Malema used Sunday's funeral to address the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where Israel launched air attacks against Iran over the last eight days. His address also comes not long after the US dropped its bombs on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, warning it could go after more targets if Iran retaliates. Malema says Iran must be protected from 'bullying' by the US and its allies. "We stand in full solidarity with Iran, a country under siege from Western imperialism for choosing independence. We reject the bullying of this nation by the United States, Israel and its allies." He says Iran has every right to defend itself, and Israel must experience the same devastation it's caused in Gaza.
TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
SA calls on US, Israel and Iran to let UN mediate peaceful resolution
The South African government has called on the US, Israel and Iran to give the UN the opportunity and space to lead in finding a peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute between them, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment and its broader nuclear capacity. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government noted the US's involvement in the Israel-Iran war with 'a great deal of anxiety'. 'It was South Africa's sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute,' the presidency said in a statement. US forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites, Trump said late on Saturday, and he warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace. Reuters reported that UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Saturday branded the US strikes on Iran as a 'dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge — and a direct threat to international peace and security.'
