Nyanzi was carrying a petition to the prime minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, protesting against what she called the continued human rights abuses by security agencies enforcing the presidential COVID-19 directives and failure by the government to distribute food to several vulnerable people.
“Hunger and anger have spiked countrywide causing frightening levels of domestic violence and suicide, whereby women are the major victims. As women, we demand to return to work,” reads the petition in part.
They demanded that the government distribute relief food to all Ugandans, lift the lockdown and adjust curfew time from 7 pm to 9 pm, repatriate Ugandans stuck abroad and release suspects arrested for violating the COVID-19 directives.
Security forces particularly the Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel have come under criticism for brutality especially while enforcing the curfew in different parts of the country. Last week, Bajjo petitioned the High court civil division seeking an order compelling government to distribute food to all citizens in the country.
Nyanzi’s lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde says that there’s no legitimate basis for the arrest of the protestors. He says that government should respect the right to protest during a pandemic.
Nyanzi was in February released from prison after the High court quashed an 18-month sentence previously handed to her on allegations of insulting the president.
Uganda went into a phased lockdown in March with the government instituting a number of measures to stem the spread of coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-19.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to address the country today evening as the second extension to the lockdown comes to an end.
