Environmental activists decry delayed prosecution over EACOP protest

At least 20 environmental activists and Project Affected Persons (PAPs) who were arrested in August 2024 for protesting against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) construction are decrying delayed prosecution, which they claim is taking a financial and psychological toll on them.

The frustrated suspects, who appeared at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on February 18, expressed their disappointment to reporters outside the court premises.

"This is the third time we are reporting here, but when our case is just adjourned because either the judge or the State Prosecutor do not show up," said Ms Martha Amviko, one of the suspects.

Ms Amviko explained that the repeated adjournments have caused them significant financial strain, as they have to travel long distances to attend court sessions, only to be told to return another day.

 "We have spent a lot of money on transport, accommodation, and legal fees, yet the case is not moving," she said.

Mr Bob Barigye, another suspect, lamented the financial burden of facilitating their legal team while the State seems unconcerned about the case. ."It has become a habit of the Court to always set dates which they cannot commit to... These people are using the Court to frustrate us, which is absurd because we pay a lot of money to have legal representation," he said.

Mr. Barigye questioned the State's commitment to prosecuting the case, given the repeated adjournments. "If there is a case, they should prosecute us, convict us, and then we see what is going on instead of frustrating us," he said.

The Court registrar adjourned their case to April 7, citing the magistrate's leave, further angering the suspects. Their lawyer, Mr. Samuel Wanda, noted that the State Prosecutor has yet to provide the disclosure outlining the exact grounds for the accusations. "We believe leave is a planned thing... If we return in April when the disclosure is not around, we shall apply for case dismissal," he said.

Mr. Wanda expressed concern that the State's failure to provide disclosure is a deliberate attempt to delay the case. "It's not fair to keep our clients in limbo, not knowing what they are accused of or what evidence the State has against them," he said.

The suspects were arrested in Kampala on August 26, 2024, while marching to the Energy Ministry to deliver a petition to Minister Ruth Nankabirwa, expressing concerns over the planned Eacop construction. The pipeline, set to transport crude oil from Hoima, Uganda, to Tanga, Tanzania, has faced opposition from environmental activists and local communities.

Ms Eve Kakuru from Youth for Green Communities highlighted the human rights violations faced by defenders since the discovery of oil in 2006. "Many human rights defenders have suffered gross human rights violations, including harassment, intimidation, arrests, detentions, and office closure by the government," she said.

Ms Kakuru emphasized that the government's actions are aimed at silencing critics and suppressing dissenting voices. "The government is using the law to intimidate and harass human rights defenders, rather than protecting their rights and freedoms," she said.

Mr Christopher Opio, team leader at Oil Refinery Resident Association, noted that human rights defenders continue to face criminal charges for exercising their constitutional rights

. "They face repression from police officers who harass, intimidate, arrest, and detain them with impunity," he said.

Mr Opio called on the government to respect the rights and freedoms of human rights defenders and to ensure that they are protected from harassment and intimidation.

"The government should recognize the important role that human rights defenders play in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance," he said.

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