The United States of America is set to join the European Union in imposing a set of sanctions against Ugandan individuals over human rights violations.
On Monday evening, the State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said the US is looking at “a range of targeted options” to hold accountable Ugandan security forces who it deemed responsible for abuses against opposition candidates and civil society.
“We can pursue our interests and our values at the same time … the US Government is considering a range of targeted options to hold accountable those who are responsible for [the human rights violations in the context of #Uganda‘s election].” Ned Price said.
Incumbent Yoweri Museveni, a former guerrilla leader who has led the East African country since 1986, was declared winner of the Jan. 14 election with 59% of the vote, while opposition leader Bobi Wine was given 35%.
In November during the campaigns, Bobi Wine was arrested, a move that sparked off riots in the capital Kampala and other areas, that left 50 people dead.
Price said that while Uganda is dear to the US in terms of helping with the latter’s interests in the region like fighting terrorism in Somalia, Washington is capable of pursuing both its interests and values at the same time.
The news comes on the heels of a European Union parliament adopted resolution to impose sanctions on Ugandan individuals and organisations it deemed responsible for human rights violations.
“Parliament reiterates that sanctions against individuals and organisations responsible for human rights violations in Uganda must be adopted under the new EU human rights sanction mechanism, the so-called EU Magnitsky Act,” one of the resolutions adopted reads.
On 7 December 2020, the European Union passed the European Magnitsky Act, which wills the organization to “freeze assets and impose travel bans on individuals involved in serious human rights abuses”.
It can be traced to the Magnitsky legislation which refers to laws providing for governmental sanctions against foreign individuals who have committed human rights abuses or been involved in significant corruption. They originated with the United States which passed the first Magnitsky legislation in 2012, following the death of Sergei Magnitsky in Russia in 2009. Since then, a number of countries have passed similar legislation including Russia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
