An activist detained and beaten for his 30-year involvement in political opposition in Uganda has become a refugee in New Zealand.
The man believed his farm was set on fire because of his work against the ruling party and Yoweri Museveni who has been president since 1986.
He told the immigration and protection tribunal he was offered money to support the government.
The man was repeatedly questioned, detained and beaten by government officials because of his support of two opposition parties, and had two scars from the incidents.
“He was detained in a police station and the officers attempted to extract information about who he was reporting to, by using pliers on his stomach,” the tribunal’s recent decisions said. “He has been left with another scar from this. He was in such severe pain that he did identify some individuals and was then released.”
After moving abroad, he was detained at the airport when he returned.
His name and the events that prompted his departure to New Zealand were redacted by the tribunal, so that he and his family could not be identified by Ugandan authorities.
“The Tribunal is satisfied that the appellant faces a real chance of serious harm in Uganda by government agents, in the form of breaches of his rights to freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrest and detention and/or arbitrary deprivation of life, as well as freedom of expression.”
It said state control and dissident repression in Uganda is widespread and severe, including allegations of arbitrary killings and disappearances of opposition supporters, voter intimidation, harassment of the opposition and the closure of social media websites.
He had been cautious about his online activities after a WhatsApp group of political opponents in the UAE was infiltrated.
His wife and fellow dissidents had been preparing to give video evidence in his case, but were warned not to because of the extent of government surveillance of communications.
rnz.co.nz
