Dear President Museveni,
I am writing to bring your attention to the case of human rights lawyer Dr. Sarah Bireete who was arbitrarily arrested at her home in Kampala on 30 December 2025. At the time of her arrest, she was neither informed of the reason for the arrest nor presented with an arrest warrant. She was first held at Nateete police station for four days, beyond the 48 hour-limit foreseen by the Constitution, in violation of the prohibition of unlawful detention and fair trial standards. She was then transferred to Luzira Upper Prison Women's section.
On 27 January, Dr Sarah Bireete was released on bail. The charges against her have not been dropped so she will be expected to attend court hearings and faces the risk of conviction and imprisonment. As a condition of her bail, she was also banned from leaving the country, having to leave her passport with the court.
On 2 January 2026, Dr. Sarah Bireete - who as well as being a lawyer and expert on constitutional governance - was charged at the Buganda Road Court with the offense of ‘Unlawful obtaining or disclosing of personal data.’ The charge appears to be associated with Dr Sarah Bireete publicly discussing information related to the National Voter’s Register without the consent of the Electoral Commission. It should be noted that the National Voters' Register is a public document and Dr Sarah Bireete’s views are protected by her right to freedom of expression.
Dr. Sarah Bireete’s arbitrary arrest and detention appear to be part of a wider pattern of the Uganda’s authorities to increase widespread repression against government critics and political opposition.
I urge your government to drop the charges against Dr. Sarah Bireete and to grant her unconditional release (which includes removing the restriction on her right to freedom of movement.)
End the misuse of the criminal justice system, including the bond system that is used by the authorities to keep human rights defenders and government critics in prolonged detention.
Yours sincerely,
