On 17 August, the government announced cache of data on secretive offshore deals, plans to welcome 2,000 refugees from named the current President as a former Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in beneficiary of offshore companies, along with August (see Afghanistan entry). 37 other Ukrainian politicians. In October, parliament replaced the speaker after he 1. Uganda: End Repression of Civil Society: Joint Statement on Uganda’s opposed the swift passing of legislation to NGO Bureau Suspension of 54 NGOs in the Country (Index: AFR limit the influence of oligarchs. In December, 59/4652/2021), 27 August former President Petro Poroshenko was 2. “Uganda: Authorities must lift social media block amid crackdown named as a criminal suspect in a state ahead of election”, 13 January treason case. 3. “Uganda: End politically motivated detention of Robert Kyagulanyi Vaccination against Covid-19 was widely and his wife”, 20 January and freely available, but the uptake was low, 4. “Uganda: Museveni’s latest government must reverse decline on covering only around a fifth of the adult human rights”, 12 May population in government-controlled territory. 5. “Address the Access Issue and the Pandemic Will Be Managed In May, parliament adopted changes to the Tomorrow”: Global Vaccine Inequity’s Impact in East Africa (Index: Criminal and Criminal Procedure Codes to AFR 04/5084/2021), 14 December align them with international criminal law, 6. Uganda: 13 Years in Limbo: Forced Evictions of the Benet in the extending the definition of aggression, crimes Name of Conservation (Index: AFR 59/4138/2021), 8 November against humanity and other specific war crimes, lifting their statute of limitation and UKRAINE providing for universal jurisdiction. The President did not sign these changes into law Ukraine by year’s end, however, and the Rome Head of state: Volodymyr Zelensky Statute of the International Criminal Court Head of government: Denys Shmyhal remained unratified. Government forces and Russia-backed Impunity for torture remained endemic. armed groups in Donbas repeatedly traded Gender-based violence remained accusations of ceasefire violations. Russia widespread, although a new law removed refused to extend the OSCE Special legal obstacles to prosecuting military Monitoring Mission’s mandate at two border personnel and police for domestic violence. crossings it controlled, and repeatedly Homophobic attacks by groups advocating massed its troops near Ukraine’s border discrimination and violence continued. The prompting concerns of Russian invasion. The investigation of attacks against journalists territory of Crimea remained under Russian and human rights defenders was slow and occupation. often ineffective. A draft law on the security TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT services envisaged additional powers of surveillance without legal safeguards. The Some progress was reported in prosecutions crackdown on dissent and human rights relating to deaths during the EuroMaydan defenders in occupied Crimea continued. protests in 2014, including the trial of several Violations of international humanitarian law titushki (agents working for the police) and of by both sides in eastern Ukraine remained a handful of former police officers (some in uninvestigated. absentia). However, justice remained elusive BACKGROUND for most victims of police abuses during these events. The economy made a partial recovery after Impunity for torture and other ill-treatment losses in 2020 caused by the Covid-19 in general remained endemic. Investigations pandemic and the ongoing conflict in the into more recent allegations remained slow Donbas region. Concerns over corruption and often ineffective. The Prosecutor persisted: the Pandora Papers, a leaked General’s Office (PGO) reported opening 79 Amnesty International Report 2021/22 380