Human rights organization Amnesty International called Thursday for the unconditional release of anti-corruption protestors detained by Ugandan authorities. The protestors were part of a march over the rise in corruption in the Ugandan Parliament.

Tigere Chagutah of Amnesty International condemned the arrest of over a hundred young protestors in Uganda during the anti-corruption protests, calling it a severe crackdown on protest rights. He noted this follows similar repression in Kenya and urged authorities to respect peaceful protest and release those detained. He added:

The heavy-handed tactics used by the Ugandan government to stifle and silence peaceful protestors show a manifest clampdown on dissent. People in Uganda have the right to express critical views against official corruption in government and human rights violations by the state, and the expression of such views should not result in imprisonment.

He also urged the Ugandan authorities to release “all those who were arrested solely for exercising their right to peaceful assembly,” as they are unlawfully detained.

A youth-led march against government corruption in Uganda resulted in numerous arrests on July 23, 2024, including several members of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP). Joel Ssenyonyi, the parliamentary opposition leader, accused the police of using excessive force. Despite the protest being decentralized and organized via social media, authorities banned it, citing public order concerns. Also, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni allegedly warned that protestors were “playing with fire.”

This form of decentralized activism follows a sizable youth-led protest movement in Kenya, highlighting a broader trend in Africa. Uganda’s constitution protects the right to peaceful protest.