The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) President, Patrick Oboi Amuriat has been arrested in Soroti city today, the party has said.
The FDC said Friday that Amuriat was arrested together with MPs hailing from Teso sub region, including Joan Alobo, Jonathan Ebwaru, and other Party leaders.
Their whereabouts and the reasons for their arrest remain unknown.
The party called on police to unconditionally release Amuriat, MPs, and all other arrested FDC supporters.
“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of FDC President Eng. Patrick Oboi Amuriat, Hon. Alobo Joan, Hon. Jonathan Ebwaru, and other Party leaders including Isaac Asaku, Soroti City West FDC Chairperson, Mary Goretti Atemo, FDC aspirant for Kumi Woman MP and Sam Acaitum who were arrested this morning,” the party posted on its X (formerly) Twitter account.
“The police must disclose their whereabouts immediately. If they have committed any offense, they should be presented before the courts of law, not subjected to arbitrary detention,” FDC posted.
Arrests
The arrest follows a wave of arrests of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters especially in Kampala.
Lately, many NUP supporters have gone missing in what the party calls abductions by security forces.
The latest NUP supporter to go missing is Charles Bukenya ‘Muvawala,’ a citizen of the United States hailing from Uganda.
His family said he was abducted by gunmen from Nakulabye, Kampala, around 01:00am on Wednesday.
At the time of his abduction, he sent a message indicating that operatives had come for him.
“Given the recent spate of abductions targeting opposition-leaning Ugandans, we know that this too is the handiwork of the cowardly Museveni regime. We demand for his immediate release from illegal detention or his swift arraignment in courts of law if he committed any offence,” said NUP President, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine.
However, security forces denied having Bukenya in custody.
The arrest of opposition politicians and their supporters raises concerns about political suppression in Uganda.
These developments suggest a shrinking democratic space, where opposition leaders and supporters face arbitrary arrests.
