Uganda is holding elections today January 14, 2021. Ahead of them, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has reportedly banned all social media and messaging applications in the country and opposition politician Bobi Wine has had his home reportedly raided by the military. The petition below, signed by the likes of Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Wole Soyinka, Keith Richards, Roger Waters, and Chris Martin, calls for free and fair elections in Uganda. Read it in full:
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Uganda is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on January 14, 2021, but no one expects them to be free or fair. President Museveni, who has enjoyed strong Western backing for 35 years-and tens of billions of dollars in military and financial assistance will contest his 6th term in office.
His main presidential challenger, musician/legislator, Hon Robert Kyagulanyi MP, better known to us as Bobi Wine, as well as another opposition candidate Patrick Amuriat, have both been repeatedly arrested by security forces, and scores, perhaps hundreds of their supporters have been tortured and killed.
Thousands of other opposition supporters are detained, many without access to lawyers, doctors or their families. On December 30, Wine's entire entourage-security detail, media team and medical team was arrested. Some of them, all previously in good health, appeared in court on Monday, limping from injuries sustained while in police custody. They were given bail but have not been released. Since then, with a fresh team, Bobi continued his campaign. That team, as well, have all been arrested.
<p>Wine's campaign in particular has reached nearly every corner of the country, where massive crowds have braved teargas and bullets to cheer on his candidacy. But every mile of that journey has been fraught with danger. In November, demonstrations broke out across Uganda when Wine was detained for two days incommunicado, supposedly for violating COVID 19 regulations. The last time he'd been so detained, in 2018, he'd emerged on crutches. In response to the public outcry, Museveni deployed his private army, known as the Special Forces Command to "restore order". At least 54 demonstrators and bystanders, including children, were gunned down and killed, and scores of others were severely injured.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><p>This is Museveni's "democracy" that carried him victoriously through multiple elections over 35 years. Bobi still ventures forth to meet his constituents, following the itinerary provided by the Electoral Commission. But with his entire security team in detention, his only security is international media coverage, shining a harsh light on the regime's excessive use of brutal force. Museveni claims Bobi's support comes only from "foreign homosexuals" The world is watching.</p><p><strong>We the undersigned call upon the African Union, US, UK, EU and all people of conscience to condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing assault on Uganda's opposition and commit to support a safe free and fair election for all Ugandan citizens</strong></p><p>ADAM CLAYTON - Musician U2 Ireland<br>ADAM SHATZ - Writer London Review of Books UK</p><p>ALAN KEMP - Marketing Executive UK</p><p>ALEXANDER STILLE - Professor at Columbia University USA<br>ALFIE BENGE - Artist UK<br>ALFONSO CUARON - Filmmaker Mexico<br>AMANDA DE CADENET - Filmmaker and Photographer USA<br>AMIR AMIRANI - Filmmaker UK<br>ANISH KAPOOR - Artist UK<br>ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU - South Africa<br>BARONESS ROSIE BOYCOTT - Journalist UK<br>BELINDA ATIM - Uganda Sustainable Development Initiative UK<br>BETTE ADRIAANSE - Artist The Netherlands<br>BIYI BANDELE - Author, Film Director Nigeria<br>BRENDA GILBERT - Film Producer USA<u></u><u></u></p><p>BONO - Musician U2 Ireland<br>BRIAN ENO - Artist, Musician, Producer UK<br>BRONAGH GALLAGHER - Actress and Singer Northern Ireland<br>CATIE GINSBURG - Partisan Records USA<br>CHARLOTTE CHURCH - Singer Activist and Founder of the Awen Project UK<br>CHRIS MARTIN - Musician Coldplay USA<u></u><u></u></p><p>COSMUS ZAVUGA - University of Manitoba Canada<br>CORNELIA PARKER OBE - Artist UK<br>DANIEL KRAMER - Founder/Director The Visceral Glitch USA<br>DANIEL LANOIS - Musician/Music Producer Canada<br>DAVID MITCHELL - Novelist UK<u></u><u></u></p><p>DAVID KAU - Comedian and Filmmaker South Africa<br>DIANA NESLEN - Retired UK<br>DR NISHANT JOSHI - Doctor and Activist UK<br>DR MEENAL JOSHI - Doctor and Activist UK<br>DR PAUL WILLIAMS - Doctor and former MP - UK<br>EMILY YOUNG FRSS - Sculptor UK<br>FEMI ANIKULAPO KUTI - Musician Nigeria<br>FEMI FALANA - Human Rights Advocate Nigeria<br>FOLARIN 'FALZ' FALANA - Entertainer Nigeria<br>FRANK RYNNE - Senior Lecturer France<br>GARETH DAVIES - Publicist (retired) UK<br>GARY LUCAS - Musician USA<br>GEETA DAYAL - Writer UK<br>GEORGIA BYNG - Children's Author UK<br>GUY BERRYMAN - Musician Coldplay USA<br>HARDI YAKUBU - Fighter-General The Economic Fighters League Ghana<u></u><u></u></p><p>HELEN EPSTEIN - Author and Journalist USA<br>HENRY LOUIS GATES - Harvard University USA<br>HENRY PORTER - Writer UK<br>HUGH CORNWELL - Songwriter USA<br>IAIN NEWTON - Marketing Consultant USA<br>IAIN OVERTON - Investigative Journalist, Author UK<br>JAMES THORNTON - Lawyer Client Earth UK<br>JEAN-MICHEL REUSSER - Music Producer France<br>JEFF SMITH - CEO Vanguard Africa USA<br>JESSE RIBOT - Professor at American University USA<br>JIM MCCARTY - Musician UK<br>JOE BOYD - Author and Record Producer UK<br>JON MCCLURE - Musician Reverend and the Makers UK<br>JONATHAN REEKIE - Arts Administrator Somerset House Trust UK<br>JONATHAN ROSENHEAD - Emeritus Professor London School of Economics UK<br>JOHN CARRUTHERS - Music Executive UK<br>JOHN GONCALVES - Musician Portugal<br>JOHN REYNOLDS - Music Producer UK<br>JONNY BUCKLAND - Musician Coldplay USA<u></u><u></u></p><p>JOSEPH NDAWULA - LAWYER UGANDA<u></u><u></u></p><p>J. PETER SCHWALM - Composer Germany<br>KALUNDI SERUMAGA - Journalist/Activist Uganda<br>KEITH RICHARDS - Author UK<br>KERRY SHAW - Impact Journalist - UK<br>KUNLE ANIKULAPO KUTI - Chief Curator The Kalakuta Museum Nigeria<br>LAURIE ANDERSON - Artist USA<br>LISE MAYER - Comedy Writer UK<br>LIVIU BABITZ - Being Myself and Entrepreneur UK<br>LUCY DURAN - Professor of Music SOAS UK<br>MARC RIBOT - Musician USA<br>MARCIAL PORTELA - CEO Kimac Brazil<br>MARGARET MARISSEN - Music Management Canada<br>MARK GETTES MD - Physician USA<br>MARK LEVINE - Professor at University of California USA<br>MARK LYNAS - Author, Journalist UK<br>MARY EVERS - Osteopath and Fellow of In Place of War UK<br>MARY ROBINSON - Former President of Ireland<br>MARTINA CONNORS - Arts Manager UK<br>MATT JONES - Principal Designer Google AI UK<br>MATTHEW OHIWEME OHIO - Entrepreneur and Producer Nigeria<br>MARTIN GOLDSCHMIDT - Chairman Cooking Vinyl Group<br>MARTINA CONNORS - Arts Manager UK<br>MELANIE PAPPENHEIM - Musician UK<br>MICHAEL ENGELBRECHT - Psychologist & Journalist Germany<br>MICHAEL UWEMEDIMO - Director Nigeria<br>MILTON ALLIMADI - Publisher Black Star News USA<br>MIRANDA PENNELL - Filmmaker UK<br>MUHAMMED LAMIN SAIDYKHAN -Coordinator Africans Rising The Gambia<br>NAMATA SERUMAGA-MUSISI - Architect/Activist Uganda<br>NIGEL HOUSE - Director Rough Trade UK<br>NIRIT SUMMERFELD - Actress/Musician Germany<br>NUNO GONCALVES - Musician Portugal<br>PAUL INGRAM - Senior Defence Policy Analyst UK<br>PETER GABRIEL - Musician UK<u></u><u></u></p><p>PETER SCHWARTZ - Senior VP Salesforce UK<br>PETRA BLAISSE - Interior and Landscape Architect Netherlands<br>PHIL HARVEY - Coldplay USA<br>RANDALL GRASS - General Manager Shanachie Records USA<br>REGGIE WATTS - Musician The James Corden Show USA<br>RICHARD-MARTIN BYAKULEKA - President CLOUD USA<br>RICHARD KUPER - Independent Researcher UK<br>RICK HOLLAND - Writer and University Professor UK<br>RIKKI STEIN - CEO Kalakuta Sunrise UK<br>ROBERT WALSH - Editor UK<br>ROBERT WYATT - Musician UK<br>ROGER WATERS - Musician UK<br>ROGERS OKOT-UMA - Chartered Physicist UK<br>RUTH DANIEL - CEO In Place of War UK<br>RUTH MACKENZIE - Artistic Director France/UK<br>SAHR NGAUJAH - Actor USA<u></u><u></u></p><p>SHIVUM SHARMA - Composer UK<br>SEUN ANIKULAPO KUTI - Musician Nigeria<br>SHELDON SHEPHERD - Actor and Poet Jamaica<br>SHIVUM SHARMA - Composer UK<br>SOL GUY - Activist and Filmmaker USA<br>STEPHEN BUDD - OneFest/Africa Express UK<br>STEPHEN HENDEL - Kalakuta Sunrise USA<u></u><u></u></p><p>THERESA BODEN - Writer UK<br>URI FRUCHTMANN - Producer Israel<br>VIKAS SHAH MBE - CEO Swiscot Group - UK<br>VINCENT MAGOMBE - African Affairs Analyst UK<br>WILL CHAMPION - Musician Coldplay USA<br>WILLIAM SIEGHART CBE - Writer UK<br>WOLE SOYINKA - Nobel Laureate NIGERIA<u></u><u></u></p><p>YANIS VAROUFAKIS - Member of Greek Parliament Greece<br>YASMIN SHARIFI-YAZDI - Co-Founder A Space Between UK<br>YENI ANIKULAPO KUTI - The New Afrika Shrine NIGERIA<br>ZENA WHITE - MD Partisan Records - USA<u></u><u></u></p>
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