\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tKAMPALA, Uganda \/ GENEVA, Switzerland \u2013\u00a0On September 27, 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Resolution A\/HRC\/15\/L.16, a landmark document that called upon all member states to take decisive action. The resolution specifically urged States to protect judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and their families against violence, threats, retaliation, discrimination, interference, and harassment arising from the discharge of their professional functions.
\nSixteen years later, legal observers and human rights advocates are asking: has Uganda forgotten its commitment?
\nThe abduction of Erias Lukwago\u2014outgoing Lord Mayor of Kampala, former Member of Parliament, and senior counsel for opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye\u2014has placed Uganda\u2019s compliance with international law under sharp scrutiny. Lukwago was seized from his Wakaliga residence on Monday morning by armed men in military uniform. A subsequent photograph released by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba showed the veteran lawyer blindfolded and in captivity.
\nHis alleged crime? Attempting to serve court summons on the Chief of Defence Forces himself.
\nThe 2010 Resolution: What It Requires
\nResolution A\/HRC\/15\/L.16 was adopted without a vote, reflecting global consensus on a fundamental principle: the administration of justice depends entirely on the safety and independence of those who practice law. The resolution explicitly calls upon States to:<\/p>\n
Protect lawyers from violence, threats, and retaliation.<\/p>\n
Prevent interference with their professional duties.<\/p>\n
Ensure that harassment of legal practitioners is met with prompt and impartial investigation.<\/p>\n
Safeguard the families of lawyers from reprisals.<\/p>\n
Uganda, as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council at various points and a signatory to multiple international instruments, is expected to respect and implement these resolutions as a matter of binding international obligation.
\nA Clear Violation
\nBy any objective measure, the abduction, blindfolding, and detention of Erias Lukwago constitutes a flagrant violation of Resolution A\/HRC\/15\/L.16.<\/p>\n
He was subjected to\u00a0violence and intimidation\u00a0during the dawn raid on his home.<\/p>\n
His professional function\u2014serving court summons\u2014was met with\u00a0retaliation\u00a0rather than respect.<\/p>\n
His detention represents\u00a0direct interference\u00a0with his ability to discharge his legal duties to Dr. Kizza Besigye and other clients.<\/p>\n
The public release of his blindfolded photograph amounts to\u00a0harassment and humiliation\u00a0specifically designed to deter other lawyers from similar actions.<\/p>\n
The Call to the State of Uganda
\nHuman rights bodies, legal associations, and civil society organizations are now issuing a unified demand:
\nThe State of Uganda is hereby called upon to immediately and unconditionally release Hon. Counsel Erias Lukwago, particularly if his arrest and detention are a direct result of discharging his professional legal functions on behalf of Dr. Kizza Besigye and others.
\nLegal experts emphasize that there is no exception in the UN Resolution for military rank, political connections, or presidential lineage. The duty to protect lawyers applies equally when the opposing party is the Chief of Defence Forces as it does in any other case.
\n\u2018If This Is the Crime, Then Justice Is Dead\u2019
\nA prominent Ugandan human rights lawyer, speaking on condition of anonymity, framed the issue in stark terms.
\n\u201cServing court summons is not a provocation. It is not an act of aggression. It is the most basic, mundane, and essential function of a lawyer in any society that calls itself civilized. If a lawyer can be abducted, blindfolded, and paraded as a trophy for doing that, then the UN Resolution means nothing. Uganda\u2019s signature means nothing. And justice is dead.\u201d
\nWhat Comes Next
\nThe Uganda Law Society has already issued a 24-hour ultimatum for Lukwago\u2019s release, threatening domestic and international legal action against the Chief of Defence Forces personally. That ultimatum is rapidly approaching its deadline.
\nMeanwhile, opposition leader Bobi Wine has called upon the world not to look on, warning that \u201cthere will be accountability for these crimes against humanity.\u201d
\nThe UN Human Rights Council has not yet issued a statement on the Lukwago abduction. However, advocates are preparing to file an urgent communication citing Resolution A\/HRC\/15\/L.16 and demanding that the Council remind Uganda of its obligations.
\nSeptember 27, 2010, was supposed to mark a turning point\u2014a global acknowledgment that lawyers cannot do their jobs if they live in fear. Sixteen years later, a senior Ugandan lawyer sits blindfolded in military custody, his only offense being an attempt to use the courts.
\nThe State of Uganda has a choice: honor its commitments under international law and release Erias Lukwago immediately, or stand before the world as a nation that protects generals, not lawyers; that punishes the summons, not the abduction; that mocks the very resolutions it once endorsed.
\nThe UN called upon States to protect lawyers. The world is now calling upon Uganda to listen.<\/p>\n
\tRelated<\/p>\n\n KAMPALA, Uganda \/ GENEVA, Switzerland \u2013\u00a0On September 27, 2010, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Resolution A\/HRC\/15\/L.16, a landmark document that called upon all member states to take decisive action. The resolution specifically urged States to protect judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and their families against violence, threats, retaliation, discrimination, interference, and harassment arising from the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3659155457675267_172535249438148":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago.jpg",1080,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-768x512.jpg",618,412,true],"large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-1024x683.jpg",618,412,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago.jpg",1080,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago.jpg",1080,720,false],"tie-small":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-110x75.jpg",110,75,true],"tie-medium":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-310x165.jpg",310,165,true],"tie-large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-310x205.jpg",310,205,true],"slider":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-660x330.jpg",660,330,true],"big-slider":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/UN-Resolution-Demands-Uganda-Protect-Lawyers-\u2013-Release-Erias-Lukwago-1050x525.jpg",1050,525,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Editor"]},"category_info":"News<\/a>","tag_info":"News","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"