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DIPLMATIC  TIMES  STAFF  REPORT

The U.S. Department of State has sanctioned four Ugandan police officers for alleged gross violations of human rights including torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment. The individuals are Bob Kagarura, the then-Wamala Regional Police Commander of the UPF; Alex Mwine, then-District Police Commander for the Mitanya District of the UPF; Elly Womanya, then-Senior Commissioner within the UPF and Deputy Director of the UPF’s Criminal Investigations Division in charge of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU); and Hamdani Twesigye, then-Deputy Inspector of Police assigned to SIU, according to a Wednesday October 2 statement by Matthew Miller, Department of State spokesperson. Kagarura, Mwine, Womanya, Twesigye and their immediate family members are generally ineligible for entry into the United States, the statement added. The State Department did not say when the alleged human rights violations occurred.

“The reports that Kagarura, Mwine, Twesigye, and Womanya were involved in gross violations of human rights, as documented by Ugandan civil court documents, civil society organizations, and independent journalists, are serious and credible.  By publicly designating these individuals, the United States reaffirms its commitment to advancing the human rights of all Ugandans and promoting accountability for those responsible for human rights violations,” the statement continued.