PANORAMA: Fishermen accuse army of torture in lake operations
The UPDF remains under the spotlight over allegations of acts of torture perpetrated against fishermen across lakes in Uganda. Evidence is emerging that some of these rogue UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit soldiers deliberately stage accidents resulting into the death of fishermen accused of practising illegal fishing methods. Other fishermen and civilians that live on landing sites have been tortured. Torture is a non-derogable right under the Constitution and international conventions that Uganda has ratified. In 2019, Parliament suspended the operations of the army on the lake after a heated debate where MPs adduced cogent evidence of torture. But the directive was not enforced by the Executive.