The United States government has banned at least four senior
police officers from entering the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department
Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the four were involved in gross violations of
human rights.
He said the violations documented by the Ugandan civil
court documents, civil society organizations, and independent journalists, are
serious and credible.
Their families have also been banned from entering the
US.
“These individuals are Bob Kagarura, the then-Wamala
Regional Police Commander of the UPF; Alex Mwine, then-District Police
Commander for the Mitanya District of the UPF; Elly Womanya, then-Senior
Commissioner within the UPF and Deputy Director of the UPF’s Criminal
Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU); and
Hamdani Twesigye, then-Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to SIU," the statement reads in part.
“As a result of today’s action, Kagarura, Mwine,
Womanya, Twesigye and their immediate family members are generally ineligible for
entry into the United States.”
The statement did not mention when the alleged
human rights violations were committed.
Miller noted that the designation of the four persons reaffirms
the United States commitment to advancing the human rights of all Ugandans.
He added that it also reaffirms their dedication to
promoting accountability for those responsible for human rights violations.
Some of the officers designated have since retired
from the force or transferred and appointed to new roles.
Other Ugandans who have been hit with US sanctions
include former Inspector General of Police General Kale Kayihura, former head
of the Chieftaincy of Military Police Major General Abel Kanduho and the current
Commissioner-General of Uganda Prisons Service Johnson Byabashaija.