Uganda: Eight Stop EACOP youth activists convicted ahead oh their sentencing

New information
UGA 006 / 0126 / OBS 065.2
Conviction /
Judicial harassment /
Arbitrary detention
Uganda
16 April 2026

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Uganda.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed about the ongoing arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of eight young environmental and climate justice defenders, namely Mses Dorothy Asio, Teopisita Nakyabande and Shammy Nalwadda, and Messrs Noah Katiti, Akram Katende, Ismail Zziwa, Shafik Kalyango, and Ali Keisha. The defenders are students from universities in Kampala and Wakiso Districts, and members of the Students Against EACOP Uganda movement, which opposes the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a major project by TotalEnergies that threatens the ecosystem, wildlife existence, and local communities’ rights.

On 10 April 2026, the Grade One Magistrate at the Buganda Road Court in Kampala convicted the above-mentioned eight defenders for “nuisance on roads” under Section 65(e) of the Road Act Cap. 346, an offence carrying a maximum sentence of one year of imprisonment. The sentencing of the human rights defenders is scheduled for 17 April 2026.

Following the conviction, the eight defenders were returned to Murchison Luzira, where they have been arbitrarily detained since their arrest on 1 August 2025, pending sentencing. Their lawyers have denounced the repeated delays in the proceedings and announced their intention to appeal the conviction.

The Observatory recalls that the eight above-mentioned activists are part of a group of 12 human rights defenders who were arbitrarily arrested on 1 August 2025 while participating in a peaceful protest in front of Stanbic Bank Head Office in Kampala, holding placards and banners reading “Stop EACOP Uganda” to denounce the bank’s funding of the EACOP project. They were subsequently charged with “nuisance on roads” and remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison.

Among the 12 defenders, Messrs Ivan Wamboga, Baker Tamale and Habibu Nalungu pleaded guilty and were thus released on 19 November 2025 and given community service at the court. Mr Mark Makoba also pleaded guilty and was released on 6 November 2025, without any additional penalty.

On several occasions, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court denied bail applications filed on behalf of the imprisoned human rights defenders, arguing that proceedings were at an “advanced stage” and promising an expeditious hearing. Most recently, on 6 January 2026, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court once again rejected the bail application of the eight arbitrarily detained defenders on these grounds and adjourned the hearings to 14 and 16 January 2026. Following additional adjournments, including on 19 January 2026, when the defenders were not brought before the court, the case was adjourned to 12 February 2026. On that date, the defence hearing was further postponed after the magistrate stated that she required additional time to review the case file. On 27 February 2026, although the proceedings on the merits had already concluded and the matter was pending judgment, the magistrate indicated that she was unable to deliver judgment due to a backlog of pending decisions and adjourned the case to 16 March 2026. On that date, the judgment was further adjourned to 10 April 2026 after the trial magistrate was absent from court for personal reasons. As a result, eight of the defenders have now spent more than eight months in detention in relation to an offence carrying a maximum sentence of only one year of imprisonment.

These incidents illustrate a persistent pattern of harassment targeting those opposing EACOP and defending environmental and human rights. Environmental rights defenders in Uganda have, in recent years, repeatedly faced arbitrary arrests, judicial harassment, and torture. For example, on 9 August 2024, 47 students were arrested in Kampala during a peaceful protest against the EACOP project. Between May and June 2024, environmental activists like Adriko Sostein, Julius Tumwiine, and Stephen Kwikiriza were arrested and arbitrarily detained, as well as Bob Barigye, Noah Katiiti, Newton Mwesigwa, Julius Byaruhanga, Desire Ndyamwesigwa, Raymond Binntukwanga, and Jealousy Mugisha Mulimbwa. Lawyer Eron Kiiza, known for his advocacy for environmental protection and rule of law, has also been targeted and detained. In April 2025, 11 environmental defenders, known as #KCB11 were arbitrarily arrested and detained following a peaceful protest denouncing the Kenyan Commercial Bank’s decision to fund EACOP. In October 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders sent a letter to the Ugandan government, raising concern about the increasing harassment of activists opposing the EACOP, particularly Students for Global Democracy.

These arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of judicial harassment, and criminal convictions form part of a persistent and intensive repressive trend targeting environmental and human rights defenders and affected communities in the context of oil development projects in Uganda. This reflects a broader pattern of silencing and undermining the fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression guaranteed under Article 29 of the Constitution of Uganda and Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Uganda is party.

The Observatory strongly condemns the conviction of the above-mentioned eight human rights defenders and their continued arbitrary detention, which appear to be only aimed at sanctioning their legitimate human rights activities.

The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to immediately overturn the conviction, release the arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, and put an end to any act of harassment against them and all human rights defenders in Uganda.

Actions requested:

Please write to the Ugandan authorities urging them to:

1. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Dorothy Asio, Teopisita Nakyabande, Shammy Nalwadda, Noah Katiti, Akram Katende, Ismail Zziwa, Shafik Kalyango, Ali Keisha, as well as all human rights defenders in Uganda;
2. Immediately release Dorothy Asio, Teopisita Nakyabande, Shammy Nalwadda, Noah Katiti, Akram Katende, Ismail Zziwa, Shafik Kalyango, and Ali Keisha, as well as all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in Uganda;
3. Quash the conviction, and drop all charges against the Dorothy Asio, Teopisita Nakyabande, Shammy Nalwadda, Noah Katiti, Akram Katende, Ismail Zziwa, Shafik Kalyango, Ali Keisha, and put an end to any act of harassment, including at the judicial level, against them and all climate rights defenders, and more broadly all human rights defenders in Uganda;
4. Ensure strict respect for fundamental freedoms, and in particular guarantee in all circumstances respect for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression as guaranteed by international human rights law, in particular in Articles 19 and 21 of the ICCPR;
5. Ensure that human rights defenders in Uganda are able to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of reprisals and free of all undue restrictions, including arbitrary detention, torture, or other sanctions.

• Mr Kaguta Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, E-mail: museveni@starcom.co.ug / aak@statehouse.go.ug, X: @KagutaMuseveni

• Ms Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, Email: ps@opm.go.ug, X: @RobinahNabbanja

• Mr Jeje Odongo Abubakher, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, X: @UgandaMFA

• Hon. Norbert Mao, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda, Email: info@jlos.go.ug / info@justice.go.ug

• Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Attorney General of Uganda, Email: info@jlos.go.ug / info@justice.go.ug

• Ms Jane Frances Abodo, Director of Public Prosecutions, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda, Email: admin@dpp.go.ug

• Ms Mariam Fauzat Wangadya, Chairperson, Uganda Human Rights Commission, Email: uhrc@uhrc.ug

• H.E. Mr. Marcel Robert Tibaleka, Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: chancery@ugandamission.ch

• H.E. Mirjam Blaak Sow, Embassy of Uganda to the EU in Brussels, Belgium. Email: ugembrus@brutele.be, info@ugandamission-benelux.org

Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Uganda in your respective countries.

***
Paris-Geneva, 16 April 2026

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
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