Committee against Torture

List of issues prior to submission of the third periodic report of Uganda *

Specific information on the implementation of articles 1–16 of the Convention, including with regard to the Committee’s previous recommendations

Issues identified for follow-up in the previous observations

1.In its previous concluding observations,the Committee requested the State Party to provide information on follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations on “ungazetted” or unauthorized places of detention, gender-based violence and the national human rights institution (see paras. 22, 28 (a) and 51, respectively). Noting that a reply concerning the information sought by the Committee was not provided by 25 November 2023 as requested, a reminder letter to enquire on the status of the State Party’s responses was sent from the Committee’s Rapporteur for follow-up on 18 April 2024. The Committee has therefore not been able to assess the degree of implementation of the recommendations included in paragraphs 22, 28 (a) and 51. These points are covered, respectively, in paragraphs 14, 4 and 5 of the present document.

Articles 1 and 4

2.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, please indicate the measures taken by the State Party to ensure that all forms of torture are effectively prohibited in its criminal legislation, in accordance with the definition contained in article 1 of the Convention, and to eliminate any actual or potential loopholes that may lead to impunity. Please provide information on the legislative measures envisaged to ensure that the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, specifically article 4, does not allow for an alternative penalty in the form of a fine for acts of torture. Please further provide information on envisaged amendments to ensure that the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Act (art. 141) and the Anti-Terrorism Act (art. 21 (e)) prescribe punishments for acts amounting to torture and other forms of ill-treatment that are commensurate with the gravity of the crime and consistent with the imprisonment penalties prescribed in the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act.

Article 2

3.Taking into account the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide updated information on the measures taken by the State Party and on the procedures in place to ensure that all persons detained are afforded, in law and in practice, all fundamental safeguards against torture and ill-treatment from the outset of their deprivation of liberty, in particular the rights to have access to a lawyer and, if necessary, to access free legal aid; to request and receive an examination by an independent medical doctor free of charge, or by a medical doctor of their choice; to be informed of their rights and the charges against them in a manner and language they understand; to have their detention recorded in a register; to notify a relative or any other person of their choice of their arrest; and to be brought before a judge, regardless of the reasons for their arrest. In particular, please provide detailed information on the measures taken by the State Party to ensure respect for these fundamental legal safeguards in the case of National Unity Platform supporters who were arrested during the disarmament operation of the 2021 general elections and have reportedly been detained without trial for over four years. Please also provide information on the existing guarantees that allow lawyers to practise their profession without hindrance. With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to expedite the enactment of the national legal aid bill, including its current status in the legislative process and any obstacles to its adoption.

4.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please update the Committee on the legislative, administrative and other measures taken to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence, especially those involving actions or omissions by State authorities or other entities that engage the international responsibility of the State Party under the Convention. Please also provide statistical data on the number of complaints of gender-based violence and the investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sanctions resulting from those complaints during the reporting period. Additionally, please provide information on the steps taken by the State Party to deliver mandatory training on prosecuting gender-based violence to justice officials and law enforcement personnel. Please also detail the efforts made to deliver large‑scale awareness-raising campaigns on all forms of violence against women.

5.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the steps taken to strengthen the capacity of the Uganda Human Rights Commission to independently monitor, document and investigate cases of torture, and share data on its investigation of such cases. Considering the significant financial constraints that the Commission reportedly continues to face, please provide information on the efforts taken to provide adequate funding and staff to the Commission to enable it to carry out its mandate, particularly with regard to preventing torture.

6.With reference to the Supreme Court ruling of 31 January 2025 in the case of Michael Andrew Kabaziguruka, which declared the trial of civilians before military courts unconstitutional and ordered the transfer of all pending cases before military courts to ordinary courts with competent jurisdiction, please provide information on the measures that the State Party has adopted to uphold the ruling. In addition, please indicate whether the State Party envisages repealing the sections of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (Amendments) Bill of 27 June 2025 that seek to reinstate exceptional circumstances under which civilians may be tried by courts martial.

7.In light of the finalization of the draft of the National Action Plan on Human Rights in March 2025 and with reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please clarify whether the Action Plan includes components aimed at reinforcing the capacities of the competent authorities to prevent and prosecute acts of torture and ensure reparation and rehabilitation for victims. Please also indicate whether the following actions have been reflected in the Action Plan:

(a)Allocation of adequate resources to relevant institutions;

(b)Mandatory training for law enforcement and judicial officers on standards to combat torture;

(c)Establishment of an independent oversight mechanism to monitor and investigate torture allegations;

(d)Provision of fundamental legal safeguards upon arrest;

(e)Promotion of public awareness of the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act and available remedies, especially in underserved areas.

8.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the State Party’s efforts to ensure the full independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary and on the steps taken to ensure that the appointment of judges conforms to international standards, including the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.

Article 3

9.Regarding the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please describe the measures taken during the period under review to ensure that no person is returned to a country where he or she would be in danger of torture. In particular, please provide information on the measures taken to effectively enforce these protections in practice, to strengthen the coordination and cooperation with national and international non‑governmental organizations and to develop proper monitoring mechanisms. Please indicate the procedure followed when a person invokes the right not to be returned. Please also indicate whether individuals facing expulsion, return or extradition are informed that they have the right to seek asylum and to appeal a deportation decision. If so, please indicate whether such an appeal has a suspensive effect. Please provide information, disaggregated by sex, age and country of origin, on the number of persons who were returned, extradited or expelled from the State Party during the period under review. Please provide details of the grounds on which those persons were sent back and a list of the countries to which the individuals were returned. Please provide updated information on the type of appeals mechanisms that may exist, any appeals that have been made and the outcome of those appeals. Please provide information on whether the State Party has adopted an approach, for application during the refugee status determination procedure, that allows for the identification of victims of torture among asylum-seekers. Please provide updated statistical data, disaggregated by the sex, country of origin and age group of persons seeking asylum, on: (a) the number of asylum applications registered; and (b) the number of successful applications for asylum or other forms of humanitarian protection during the reporting period, specifying, where appropriate, the number of persons whose applications were accepted because they had been tortured or might be tortured if returned to their country of origin. Additionally and further to the Committee’s recommendations in its previous concluding observations,please provide information on the State Party’s consideration of the withdrawal of its reservations to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

10.Please indicate the number of refoulements, extraditions and expulsions, if any, carried out by the State Party during the reporting period on the basis of the acceptance of diplomatic assurances or the equivalent thereof, and any instances in which the State Party has offered such diplomatic assurances or guarantees. Please also indicate what the minimum contents of any such assurances or guarantees are, whether given or received, and what measures have been taken in such cases with regard to subsequent monitoring.

Articles 5–9

11.Please provide updated information on any legislation or measures that have been adopted to implement article 5 of the Convention. Please inform the Committee of any extradition agreements concluded with other States Parties and indicate whether the offences referred to in article 4 of the Convention are included as extraditable offences in such agreements. Please also describe what measures have been adopted by the State Party to comply with its obligation to extradite or prosecute (aut dedere aut judicare), and any cases where this principle has been applied. In particular, please indicate whether, since the adoption of the previous concluding observations, the State Party has rejected a request from another State to extradite an individual suspected of having committed acts of torture for reasons of restriction on extradition (Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, art. 22) and instead prosecuted the individual itself in accordance with article 17 of the Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act. If so, please provide information on the status and outcome of such proceedings. Please inform the Committee about the mutual legal and judicial assistance treaties or agreements that the State Party has entered into with other entities, such as States, international tribunals or other international institutions, and whether such treaties or agreements have led in practice to the transfer of any evidence in connection with prosecutions concerning torture and ill-treatment. Please provide examples.

Article 10

12.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observation,please provide up-to-date information on the training and educational programmes developed by the State Party to ensure that all public officials involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, including law enforcement officials, prison staff, border guards and members of the military, are fully aware of the provisions of the Convention and know that breaches will not be tolerated and will be investigated, and that any offenders will be prosecuted. Please indicate whether the State Party has developed a methodology to assess the effectiveness and impact of training and educational programmes in reducing cases of torture, ill-treatment and excessive use of force, and, if so, please provide information on the methodology. Please provide updated information on training programmes for judges, prosecutors, forensic doctors and medical personnel dealing with detained persons on detecting and documenting physical and psychological sequelae of torture, and whether such programmes include specific training on the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol), as revised.

13.Please indicate any measures taken to give effect to the provisions of article 10 (2) of the Convention during the reporting period. Please explain whether clear instructions concerning the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment are included in the relevant regulations, in particular those intended for officials in contact with persons deprived of their liberty, and how these instructions specifically promote respect for the rights of minority groups and address potentially discriminatory practices during arrests and detention. Please also indicate whether specific information on non-coercive investigation techniques is included in the training of public officials involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, including information as to whether the State Party has considered incorporating the Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information‑Gathering (the Méndez Principles) into such training. Lastly, please also provide information on the content of such training.

Article 11

14.Please update the Committee on the procedures in place for ensuring compliance with article 11 of the Convention. Please provide information on any interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices, and arrangements for custody, and indicate the frequency with which they are reviewed. With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to abolish the use of “ungazetted” or unauthorized places of detention, including “safe houses”, to ensure immediate disclosure of all places of detention, to investigate and prosecute officials involved in the arbitrary operation of unauthorized detention facilities and to guarantee that victims have access to adequate remedies. In this context, please also provide updated information on the actions taken following the reported ill-treatment and alleged unlawful detention of Edward Sebuufu (known as “Eddie Mutwe”) in April and May 2025, including the implementation of the Uganda Human Rights Commission’s formal release order of 2 May 2025 and any further measures in response to the public condemnation by the Minister of Justice of Mr. Mutwe’s treatment on 6 May 2025.

15.Taking into account the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please indicate the measures that the State Party has taken during the reporting period to reduce overcrowding in penitentiary institutions, improve material conditions and ensure adequate lighting and ventilation.Please also provide updated information on the existence of alternative, non-custodial measures in the State Party and data on their use. Please provide up-to-date statistical data, disaggregated by the place of detention, sex, age group (minor or adult) and ethnicity or nationality of detainees, on the capacity and occupancy rate of all places of detention, the number of pretrial detainees and the number of convicted prisoners, and updated information on the average length of pretrial detention in the State Party. Please inform the Committee of steps taken to ensure that places of deprivation of liberty and applicable detention regimes are adapted to respond to the specific needs of groups such as women and children in conflict with the law, including as this relates to the best interests of the child and the right to access appropriate healthcare. Also, please confirm whether the detention conditions for female prisoners comply with the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), particularly with regard to Karamojong women held in Luzira Maximum Security Prison. Additionally, please provide detailed information on the conditions at the Masulita Children’s Village.

16.Please provide information regarding access to healthcare, including psychological and psychiatric services, in detention. Please update the Committee on the number of medical staff available in such places and their training. Please also provide information regarding the number of individuals in detention living with chronic illnesses or communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and tuberculosis, along with information regarding their long-term treatment and care. What measures are in place to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in detention? Please inform the Committee of any specific regimes, policies and resources in place for the treatment of prisoners with psychosocial disabilities. Please provide information regarding deaths in custody, including data disaggregated by age, sex and cause of death. In this regard, please include information on the manner in which those deaths were investigated, the results of those investigations, and the measures taken to prevent similar cases from occurring in the future. Please indicate whether relatives of the deceased received compensation in any of the cases.

17.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the steps that have been taken since the previous review to ensure that the Uganda Human Rights Commission is provided with adequate financial and human resources, as well as the access necessary to effectively carry out its mandate of monitoring all places of deprivation of liberty. Please also indicate whether human rights non‑governmental organizations are permitted to access and visit places of detention. Furthermore, please clarify whether the State Party is considering ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention. In addition, please provide information on the monitoring checklists and tools developed by the Commission for assessing conditions in places of detention holding “violent extremist prisoners”, and on the existing collaboration frameworks between the Commission, the Uganda Prisons Service and the national counter-terrorism structures for the management of “violent extremist prisoners” and other detainees.

18.Please provide relevant information on treatment in psychiatric care in the State Party. In this regard, please provide information on any existing procedures that may result in an individual’s involuntary hospitalization, and procedures for review and appeal of decisions in that regard. Please inform the Committee about any legislation relating to the use of physical and chemical restraints in psychiatric settings. Please also comment on reports concerning the arrest and detention of people with opioid disorders in facilities where opioid agonist maintenance therapy is unavailable. Please include information on the measures envisaged to ensure that people who use drugs have access to appropriate care within these facilities.

Articles 12 and 13

19.Regarding the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide updated, disaggregated information on the number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions and convictions relating to acts of torture, ill-treatment and excessive use of force recorded in the period under review, along with information on the sentences handed down in cases where the alleged perpetrators were found to be guilty. Please also provide information on measures taken to suspend officials under investigation for torture or ill‑treatment and indicate whether the Uganda Police Force intends to start compiling and publishing records of reported torture and ill-treatment. Please comment on reports of continued use of torture and ill-treatment within the State Party’s territory. In this regard, the Uganda Human Rights Commission has documented 508 complaints of torture and ill‑treatment for the period 2022–2024, particularly of individuals associated with political opposition parties. Please provide further information on reports on the continued excessive use of force against Benet Indigenous people to prevent them from accessing their ancestral lands. In that regard, please provide detailed information on the progress of the investigations into the shooting deaths of Marko Kipsang (aged 16) on 4 June 2024 and Joshua Emmanuel Sukuku (aged 13) on 6 September 2024, and of the investigation into Kibet Silas Rukut’s shot to the leg on 28 May 2024. Also, please comment on reports that Karamojong children and women suffered physical and mental harm during the Katwe slums raids on 12 January 2024, carried out by Kampala Capital City Authority soldiers. Please also comment on reports that children were forcibly separated from their mothers during the arrests. Please elaborate on the measures taken to reunite the children with their mothers and the steps that have been taken to inform the mothers of their children’s whereabouts.

20.Taking into account the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the State Party’s efforts to effectively implement the National Transitional Justice Policy and its contribution to combating torture. Please also provide information on the Obuntubulamu programme launched in 2024 by the United Nations Development Programme and the Nnabagereka Development Foundation and its potential to promote transparency and accountability among perpetrators of past serious crimes. Within the framework of the transitional justice approach, please indicate how many cases of international crimes the High Court’s International Crimes Division is handling, and how many convictions have been issued.

21.Please provide information regarding the measures taken to ensure that all individuals who allege that they have been subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment have the right to complain and to have their case promptly and impartially investigated. In this regard, please update the Committee on specific complaints mechanismsavailable to individuals alleging torture and ill-treatment in the State Party, the body or bodies responsible for the investigation and prosecution of such allegations and the measures taken to ensure the independence of those bodies.

Article 14

22.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on redress and compensation measures, including means of rehabilitation, ordered by the courts or other State bodies and actually provided to victims of torture or their families during the reporting period. Please include the number of requests for compensation that were made, the number granted and the amounts ordered and actually provided in each case. Please provide updated information on any ongoing reparation programmes, including for the treatment of trauma, and other forms of rehabilitation, provided to victims of torture and ill-treatment, and on the material, human and budgetary resources allocated for their effective functioning. Lastly, please provide information on the efforts made to collaborate effectively with civil society organizations in designing and delivering these rehabilitation services, as well as on the financial support provided to non-governmental organizations working in this sector.

Article 15

23.Please provide information on the specific measures adopted by the State Party to ensure that the principle of the inadmissibility of evidence obtained through torture or ill‑treatment is observed in law and in practice. Please provide examples of any cases that have been dismissed by the courts owing to the introduction of evidence or testimony obtained through torture or ill-treatment. In this regard, please comment on reports of Karamojong children being coerced into giving testimonies against their mothers, who were allegedly subsequently imprisoned in Luzira Maximum Security Prison based on those confessions. Additionally, please comment on allegations that, following the Kampala Capital City Authority raid in January 2024, Karamojong women were forced to confess to trafficking in children before being convicted.

Article 16

24.Regarding the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the proposed amendments to the Children’s Act that would explicitly prohibit the corporal punishment of children in all settings.Please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to enforce and raise awareness of the Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Act, which prohibits violence against children with albinism and others.In addition, please provide data on the number of victims of acts covered by this Act during the period under review, indicating how many of them were children with albinism.

25.With reference to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party during the period under review to prevent and respond to instances of mob justice. Please provide information on prosecution of the perpetrators.

26.Please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons from restrictions in access to healthcare, home evictions, verbal harassment, discrimination, arbitrary arrests, intimidation and violence, including abuses perpetrated by law enforcement officers. Please include information on how access to justice and remedies is provided. Please also provide information on the specific steps envisaged by the State Party to prevent hate crimes based on the grounds of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, and to ensure that perpetrators of such crimes are held accountable. In addition, please provide information on the measures taken to repeal the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

27.Please comment on reports on continuous harassment, threats and arbitrary arrests of environmental activists protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and other fossil fuel projects. In the light of the reported arrest of 81 environmental activists since May 2024, please provide information on the measures taken by the State Party to ensure full respect for their legitimate activities and right to peaceful protest, and on the guarantees of their legal safeguards in case of arrest and detention. In this regard, please provide information on the status of the investigation into the alleged ill-treatment suffered by environmental activist Steven Kwikiriza, who was detained by plain-clothed Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces officers on 4 June 2024 and subsequently was unaccounted for over the following five days.

Other issues

28.In the light of the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide updated information on any discussions in the State Party in relation to the abolition of the death penalty and the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.

29.Further to the Committee’s previous concluding observations,please provide updated information on the measures taken by the State Party to respond to the threat of terrorism. Please describe whether those measures have affected human rights safeguards in law and in practice and, if so, how they have affected them. Please also describe how the State Party has ensured that counter-terrorism measures are compatible with all its obligations under international law, especially the Convention. Furthermore, please indicate what training is given to law enforcement officers in this area; the number of persons who have been convicted under legislation adopted to combat terrorism; the legal remedies and safeguards available in law and in practice to persons subjected to counter-terrorism measures; and whether there have been complaints of the non-observance of international standards and, if so, what the outcome was.

General information on the national human rights situation, including new measures and developments relating to the implementation of the Convention

30.Please provide information on any other relevant legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures taken since the consideration of the State Party’s previous report to implement the provisions of the Convention or the Committee’s recommendations, including institutional developments, plans or programmes. Please indicate the resources allocated and statistical data. Please also provide any other information that the State Party considers relevant.