By Kabuye Ronald
The Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Lady Justice Mariam Wangadya, has issued a clarion call to all security agencies, particularly the Uganda Police Force, to conduct their operations with unwavering adherence to the law and respect for human rights even in the face of terrorism threats.
Speaking at the official opening of the UNOCT Workshop on Human Rights and Gender Equality in Counter-Terrorism, held at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Justice Wangadya cautioned against using counter-terrorism efforts as a justification for undermining civil liberties.
“We are gathered here to discuss terrorism. To confront it. To outthink it. But above all, to do so without compromising the very values terrorism seeks to destroy,” she said. “If we trade away human rights in the name of security, we hand victory to terror without a fight.”
Justice Wangadya emphasized that no nation can detain or arrest its way to peace and that true security must be founded on justice, not fear. She reminded law enforcement and prosecutors that due process must be preserved—even during crisis moments.
One of the key points in her address was the enforcement of the 48-hour rule, which mandates that suspects must be charged in court within 48 hours of arrest.
“If we hold a suspect longer than 48 hours without charge, we may be seen as violating justice even if the suspect is guilty,” Wangadya warned. “Due process is not a luxury of peace; it is the foundation of peace. A just state does not fear fair trials.”
While acknowledging existing challenges such as understaffing and inadequate resources within the Uganda Police, the UHRC Chairperson warned against using logistical constraints as excuses for procedural violations.
“Let us work towards building the capacity and infrastructure necessary to honor such timelines faithfully or else we risk undermining both the spirit and the letter of the law,” she said.
Justice Wangadya also turned her attention to digital investigations, highlighting the critical importance of protecting personal data seized during anti-terror operations. She specifically addressed the 72-hour rule for digital seizures.
“In today’s world, digital devices carry our lives. To seize them is to hold someone’s identity in your hands. This power must be exercised with the utmost restraint,” she said.
“People’s digital rights are human rights. Every intrusion must meet the test of necessity, proportionality, and legality.”
She acknowledged that forensic investigations may sometimes run up against time and technical limitations but insisted that this should not justify shortcuts.
“When rights are on the line, shortcuts are not solutions. Instead, we need timelines that are not only principled but practical,” she noted.
Justice Wangadya extended gratitude to international partners and organizations supporting Uganda’s counter-terrorism efforts.
“Your support has been more than technical. It has been transformational. By embedding gender, rule of law, and rights into your assistance, you remind us that the world is watching. And supporting,” she said.
Addressing Ugandans directly, she underscored the defining nature of the current moment.
“A country’s character is revealed not in calm, but in crisis. This is our test. The temptation will always be to trade liberty for security. But once freedom is lost in fear, it is rarely recovered.”
She urged law enforcement and judicial officers to serve the people with fairness, not fear, and to resist the temptation of repression.
As she concluded, Lady Justice Wangadya reminded the gathering that true national strength is measured by how a country treats its most vulnerable even those accused of serious crimes.
“The measure of our security lies not in the number of arrests, but in the number of rights upheld,” she said. “Justice, when done rightly, does not need to shout. It simply stands firm, unwavering, and dignified.”
She called on all stakeholders to leave the workshop not just with knowledge, but with renewed commitment to human dignity and justice.
“Let us not just speak of human rights. Let us embody them.”
The UNOCT Workshop on Human Rights and Gender Equality in Counter-Terrorism brought together key players in Uganda’s justice, law, and order sector to evaluate the balance between national security and individual freedoms.
