Kampala — The Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society (UCLS) has denounced the arrest of Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Masaka, who had been missing since December 3, as a violation of the constitution and a disregard for fundamental human rights. Nearly two weeks after his disappearance, on December 14, the Ugandan Ministry of National Defence issued a statement admitting that Father Ssekabira had been arrested by security forces on charges of participating in "violent subversive activities against the state." The manner in which the priest was arrested, dragged from an unmarked vehicle by armed individuals, was sharply criticized by the Catholic Lawyers Society. "The use of unmarked vehicles, unidentified officers, secret detention facilities, and the delayed announcement of detention are clear indicators of unconstitutional security practices that undermine the rule of law," the UCLS states. "For ten days, the priest's whereabouts were concealed, his family, his Diocese, and his legal representatives denied access, and the law rendered silent. This amounted to an enforced disappearance, a practice expressly prohibited under Uganda's Constitution, domestic law, and binding international human-rights obligations."

Furthermore, the UCLS emphasizes that "allegations of subversive activities do not override constitutional guarantees, and potential security threats cannot justify abduction, secrecy, or denial of a fair trial."

According to the 1995 Ugandan Constitution, a detained person must be brought before a court or released on bail within 48 hours.