President George W. Bush should press his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on key human rights issues when the two leaders meet at the White House on October 30, Human Rights Watch said in a letter made public today.
Human Rights Watch asked Bush to urge Museveni to ensure prosecutions for serious crimes committed by both sides during the conflict in northern Uganda, as well as for more recent abuses by Ugandan soldiers in Uganda’s Karamoja region. Human Rights Watch also called upon Bush to urge Museveni to repudiate his hostile statements against people living with HIV/AIDS and against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. Human Rights Watch also noted the role of Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia and called on Bush and Museveni to do more to ensure civilian protection against abuses by all parties to the conflict in Somalia.
“President Bush should tell President Museveni that prosecutions for the most serious crimes committed in northern Uganda are crucial to justice and a durable peace,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. “President Museveni needs to know that any ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ punishment for war crimes is out of the question.”
