The Environmental Governance Institute says Stephen Kwikiriza is in “poor condition” after “severe beatings” in detention.
An activist from an environmental group campaigning to block an internationally funded $5 billion oil pipeline through Uganda has been released from detention, his employer says.
The Environmental Governance Institute (EGI) said in a statement on Monday that the activist was found abandoned on the side of a road in Kyenjoyo and is now safe.
“Unfortunately, he is in a poor condition after suffering beatings, mistreatment and abuse throughout the week. Doctors are carrying out various tests.”
EGI is campaigning to stop the construction of the 1,445-kilometer (900-mile) East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which will transport oil from oil fields in western Uganda to a port on the coast of Tanzania.
EGI said the Ugandan military detained Kwikiriza on Tuesday.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said he was apparently taken by Ugandan army officers in civilian clothes, describing it as a “particularly worrying escalation of repression”.
A senior military official on Monday confirmed Kwikiriza’s detention to the Agence France-Presse news agency.
“He was taken into custody for questioning over his illegal activities, including mobilizing fellow activists to oppose the pipeline,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that he was released after questioning.
“I was not informed that he was beaten during the interrogation. It is a matter that can be investigated and verified.”
FIDH stated that 11 environmental activists “were kidnapped, arbitrarily arrested, detained or subjected to various forms of harassment by Ugandan authorities between 27 May and 5 June 2024”.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also expressed concern about Kwikiriza’s disappearance.
“The Ugandan government needs to end harassment of opponents of petroleum development in the country, such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project, which has already devastated the livelihoods of thousands of people in Uganda and, if completed, it will displace thousands of people and contribute to the global climate crisis,” said Myrto Tilianaki, senior environmental rights advocate at HRW, in a statement.
French energy giant TotalEnergies holds the majority stake in the pipeline, with China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the governments of Uganda and Tanzania holding minority stakes.
“TotalEnergies E&P Uganda does not tolerate any threats or attacks against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights,” TotalEnergies said in a statement to Reuters news agency on Monday.
The company rejected the claim by activists and international organizations that the pipeline will displace tens of thousands of people and destroy fragile ecosystems.
The European Parliament expressed its opposition to the gas pipeline in a resolution adopted in September 2022.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
