Ugandan police forces announced on Saturday that 104 individuals have been arrested amid the ongoing anti-corruption protests in the African nation.

Uganda’s Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke stated, “Between July 22 and July 25, 2024, demonstrators attempted to #MarchToParliament in Kampala, leading to significant police intervention.”

Rusoke confirmed that 100 of the individuals were already in court and that 13 of them have prior criminal charges. He added that nine people were detained for common nuisance and traffic regulation offenses on July 22 and that all of those individuals were sent to court. 75 people were captured on July 23, with 74 going to court and one in police detention. Moreover, three people were arrested for common nuisance charges on July 24, and on July 25, 16 people were arrested with 13 in court and three in police custody.

The protestors are part of a youth-led march against the rise of corruption in the Ugandan Parliament. On July 23, the march resulted in several opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) members being arrested. The parliamentary opposition leader, Joel Ssenyonyi, accused the police of using excessive force. Even though the demonstration was decentralized and planned through social media, officials banned it due to public order concerns. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni also purportedly warned that protestors were “playing with fire.”

Amnesty International urged Ugandan authorities on Thursday to unconditionally release anti-corruption activists imprisoned by Ugandan authorities. Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah stated:

Instead of silencing people for expressing their discontent and continuing to use unlawful force to stop peaceful protests, state authorities must address the demands of the people who are calling on them to deal with corruption among elected officials, and respect, protect and fulfil all their human rights obligations.