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Uganda: Women Activists Condemn the Brutal Arrest of IPC Womens League, 29 January 20
Women activists in Uganda have condemned the brutal arrest of 33 women belonging to opposition parties under the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC), who marched to the Electoral Commission office to demand the resignation of Commission Chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu and his fellow commissioners on 18 th January 2010. They have termed the arrests as appalling and inhuman police brutality against peaceful female demonstration.
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The activists in the strongest terms condemned the brutality and undemocratic conduct of government agents. They demanded that all charges against the arrested women be dropped and the Inspector General of Police to apologise for the actions. Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, Executive Director of Isis-WICCE, said that the police need to change their approach to political demonstrations. The arrests were brutal and Ms Ochieng said, The police institution should move away from militarism towards a negotiating point of view.
Solome Nakawesi from Akina mama Wa Afrika expressed her outrage, saying, We are still in a situation when we still have to argue that its wrong when a woman is arrested you see her panties. I dont see men in that position. We are clambering to reach a point when women are on an equal footing with men.
It was the first time a womens group was mobilizing against the embattled electoral commissioners who were reappointed last year despite widespread irregularities in the 2006 election which they oversaw. Uganda is preparing for elections in 2011, and the police action is seen as an attempt to scare away women from participating actively in the political process for fear of violence.
The above analysis is based on the reports from the media:
The Monitor |
