Summary:

• Seven Ugandan student activists have been remanded at Luzira Maximum Prison for peacefully opposing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, prompting global calls for their release and a reevaluation of Uganda’s stance on the controversial project.

Kampala, Uganda | THE BLACK EXAMINER | In a concerning development just ahead of COP28, seven Ugandan student activists find themselves behind bars at Luzira Maximum Prison for peacefully opposing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. The arrests took place on November 24, 2023, following the activists’ peaceful petition to the Ugandan Parliament against the environmentally controversial project.

The student activists were initially held in police custody for four days before being remanded to Luzira Maximum Prison. Their detention, scheduled until December 8, 2023, raises questions about freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest in Uganda.

This incident comes on the heels of the arrest of seven other human rights defenders on November 20, who were delivering materials, including a petition, to the Chinese embassy in Kampala. While the latter group has been released, the charges of incitement to violence against them remain, creating a worrisome pattern of repression against those opposing the EACOP project.

StopEACOP, a global campaign against the EACOP, has called on the international community to address these arrests and demand justice for the detained activists. The organization emphasizes the need for a transition to renewable energy and urges Uganda to reconsider its stance on the EACOP project.

As COP28 begins, the international community is urged to amplify the issue, pushing for the phasing out of fossil fuels and advocating for greater renewable energy ambitions globally.