Dr. Daniel Kawuma, the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) diaspora team, has urged Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa to ensure full accountability for the forcibly disappeared Ugandans and bring justice before the Ugandan people.
The comments follow the opposition's presentation of seven demands in Parliament to address human rights violations without any excuses.
The demands include holding the perpetrators of the November 2020 killings accountable, ensuring justice for detained Muslims across the country, and addressing the cases of the 18 confirmed disappeared Ugandans.
Other demands consist of releasing political prisoners, granting freedom to political prisoners held in the court martial, summoning the Minister of Justice to Parliament to address the issue of detention without trial, and demanding accountability for the military's killings in fishing communities.
The opposition has expressed concerns about the victimization and targeted killings of Muslims, detention without trial, and the unjust arrest of over 500 NUP supporters on baseless charges.
Kawuma called on the Ugandan government to promptly disclose the whereabouts of John Bosco Kibalama and other Ugandans who disappeared in 2019, leaving their families desperate for answers and closure.
"Their families, filled with anguish and yearning, deserve answers and closure. If these individuals have been killed, we demand that their remains be presented so that families can grieve and lay their loved ones to rest," he said.
If these individuals have been killed, he demanded that their remains be presented to allow their families to mourn and lay them to rest.
He emphasised that the Museveni regime consistently downplays the forced disappearances of Ugandans, which he believes is part of a deliberate strategy to silence political opponents.
He vowed that such gross violations of human rights would not be tolerated, and justice and accountability would be demanded from the Museveni government.
Kawuma criticized Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja for claiming knowledge of Kibalama's whereabouts despite the lack of evidence or information for years, deeming this unacceptable.
He also condemned the arbitrary detention of over 30 National Unity Platform supporters, including Olivia Lutaaya, who have been held in military custody for nearly three years without a fair trial.
Such disregard for due process is a stain on the principles of justice and fairness, he added.
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He further stated that the NRM regime, once seen as a symbol of liberation in 1986, has now become an oppressive instrument, resorting to abductions and disappearances to silence political opponents.
Kawuma appealed to Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which have provided financial support to the Museveni regime, to ensure that their citizens' tax dollars are not being used to perpetuate the oppression of Ugandans.
He expressed solidarity with the families of the disappeared, including the family of John Bosco Kibalama, who was abducted on June 3, 2019, and has not been seen since.
Their pain is shared, and their fight for justice is a shared struggle.
He emphasized the determination to persist until the truth is revealed, those responsible are held accountable, and the rights and freedoms of all Ugandans are upheld.
