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In Uganda, strong mobilization on social networks after the arrest on Tuesday of lawyer and human rights activist Nicholas Opiyo, as well as four other lawyers, all suspected of money laundering. The five men remain in police custody and many human rights defenders demand their release.
with our correspondent in Kampala, Lucie Mouillaud
Since the arrest of Nicholas opiyo and four other lawyers, many NGOs are worried about increasing pressure on civilian libertarians in Uganda.
“I think these allegations could be a threat to funds. Because these lawyers have been very vocal about human rights violations, especially with regard to the demonstrations on 18 and 19 November. There was a lot of criticism from the security forces during these events, “explains Feona Wall, president of the Uganda Law Society.
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Nicholas Opiyo led an investigation into the violence during these demonstrations, which killed 54 people.
For his colleague Sarah Kasande, the accusations of money laundering have no basis. According to her, this is not the first time that these accusations have been made against activists.
“The Financial Intelligence Act and financial authorities have been used to crack down on human rights defenders. For example, the accounts of a number of NGOs have been frozen in recent weeks. These allegations are unfounded and have no justification. ”
Ugandan police spokesman Fred Enanga said on Twitter on Wednesday that a working group is actively conducting its investigation into Nicholas Opiyo and the other lawyers, while experts are analyzing the first exhibitions.
Update on money laundering survey @ FredEnanga1 “We would like to further inform the public that the working group is actively investigating lawyer Nicholas Opio and others for violations of the rules against money laundering has deepened their investigations into the preliminary results”.
– Uganda Police Force (@PoliceUg) 23 December 2020.
