were at particularly high risk as they were sexual relations. Uganda continued to host more likely to be in poorly paid jobs and the largest refugee population in Africa. unable to participate in the practice of paying BACKGROUND for other pickers to take their place. Children aged between 10 and 16 were often hired in In 2020, dozens of people were killed in the place of adults. Furthermore, according to context of electoral campaigning ahead of the media reports in September, schoolchildren, January 2021 general election, most of them teachers, public sector workers and others by police and other security forces. On 16 were forcibly sent to pick cotton for the 2021 January, two days after polling day, the harvest. Electoral Commission of Uganda declared ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES Yoweri Museveni, who had served as president for 35 years, the presidential The fate and whereabouts of at least 120 winner with 58.6% of the votes. His leading prisoners subjected to enforced opponent, Robert Kyagulanyi, head of the disappearance remained unknown. Some National Unity Platform (NUP) party, received were imprisoned after an alleged 34.8% of the votes and disputed the results, assassination attempt on then President filing a legal challenge with the Supreme Saparmurat Niyazov in November 2002. Court. He withdrew this on 22 February, claiming the judges were biased. UGANDA ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES On 4 March, the NUP claimed that 458 of its Republic of Uganda followers had been abducted by security Head of state and government: Yoweri Kaguta forces in connection with the January Museveni elections and that their whereabouts remained unknown. On 14 February, the Security forces used intimidatory tactics to Ministry of Information and Communications suppress political opposition members and Technology and National Guidance supporters in the context of the January announced that President Museveni had elections, including arbitrary arrests, instructed the police and the Uganda abductions, prolonged incommunicado Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) to provide detention, enforced disappearances and detailed updates about anyone they had prosecutions. The rights to freedom of arrested in the run up to, during and after the expression, peaceful assembly and elections. On 24 February, the then speaker association were severely restricted; the of parliament instructed the Minister of authorities targeted organizations working Internal Affairs to present to parliament “a full on human rights and shut down the internet list of all those in custody, whether under the for five days. The High Court lifted the UPDF or police”. On 4 March, the minister house arrest of the main opposition leader. presented 177 names of people who were The vaccination roll-out was slow. The alleged to be missing, 171 of whom he government ordered agribusiness companies confirmed were detained under charges to halt the evictions of thousands of people, including participating in riots, possessing and the Constitutional Court found that military stores, and involvement in meetings Indigenous peoples had been illegally to plan post-election violence; the other six evicted from their ancestral land. The had already been released on bond. At the president refused to assent to legislation end of the year, the state had not publicly which, if enacted, could provide greater disclosed official data on the numbers of all protection for survivors of sexual violence those still in detention in relation to the but criminalized consensual same-sex elections. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 377