,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #hjg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ah1 #bjbj,mr4 ,menendez submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,urging the ,government of ,uganda and all parties to respect human1 civil1 and political rights and ensure free and fair elections in ,january #bjba1 and recognizing the importance of multiparty democracy in ,uganda4 ,whereas the ,united ,states has an important interest in supporting democracy in ,uganda and has consistently demonstrated support for the people of ,uganda through efforts to advance good governance1 economic growth1 and improved access to health and education2 ,whereas ,uganda has been an important security partner of the ,united ,states1 including through its contributions to the counter-terrorism efforts in ,east ,africa1 and to the ,african ,union ,mission in ,somalia2 ,whereas ,uganda remains one of the top refugee hosting countries in the world1 a contribution that plays an important role in regional stability and humanitarian protection2 ,whereas more than #ge percent of ,uganda's population is younger than #cj years of age1 and the political1 economic1 and social stability of country will be shaped by the welfare of its youth1 and their access to opportunity1 equality1 and dignified lives2 ,whereas respect for human1 civil1 and political rights and deepening multiparty democracy are essential to ,uganda's long-term economic prosperity and political stability2 ,whereas the conduct of elections1 particularly the ,january #bjba elections1 will have a significant impact on the trajectory of democratic growth in ,uganda and its relationship with the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,national ,resistance ,movement 7referred to in this preamble as ,,nrm7 took control of the ,government of ,uganda in #aihf after period of protracted conflict and has dominated the political affairs in ,uganda ever since2 ,whereas ,yoweri ,museveni has served as ,uganda's head of state since #aihf1 making him the third-longest actively serving head of state in ,africa2 ,whereas ,uganda has had national elections since #aiif1 and multiparty elections since #bjjf1 all of which have been won by the ,,nrm and ,president ,museveni2 ,whereas the ,,nrm has engineered changes to the ,ugandan constitution in #bjje and #bjag1 which removed presidential term limits and age-limits respectively1 and have allowed ,president ,museveni to remain in power for more than #c decades2 ,whereas national elections in ,uganda since #aiif have not met internationally accepted standards for free and fair polls1 as the ruling party has leveraged access to1 and influence over1 state resources and institutions to tilt the electoral balance in its favor2 ,whereas ,ugandan authorities have used coercive measures1 including arbitrary arrests and detentions1 torture1 extra-judicial killings1 and intrusive surveillance technology to intimidate and silence political opposition in the country2 ,whereas in ,march #bjbj1 the ,constitutional ,court of ,uganda annulled section #h of the repressive ,public ,order ,management ,act of #bjac1 but ,ugandan authorities continue to obstruct lawful assemblies by the political opposition1 often through violence2 ,whereas the ,museveni ,administration has used arbitrary and partisan legal action1 enabled by its control of the courts1 to intimidate and silence members of the political opposition2 ,whereas ,ugandan authorities have not been held accountable for human rights abuses1 including those perpetrated against prominent members of the political opposition1 including members of parliament2 ,whereas many ,ugandan officials have not been held accountable for acts of gross corruption1 which have been documented by ,human ,rights ,watch in #bjac and other nongovernmental organizations 7referred to in this preamble as ,n,g,os71 despite the existence of anti-corruption laws1 including-- 7#a7 the ,penal ,code ,act2 7#b7 the ,leadership ,code ,act1 #bjjb2 7#c7 the ,inspectorate of ,government ,act1 #bjjb2 7#d7 the ,anti-,corruption ,act1 #bjji2 and 7#e7 the ,public ,finance ,management ,act1 #bjae2 ,whereas ,ugandan authorities continue to deploy a range of restrictive and onerous administrative measures against ,n,g,os1 including-- 7#a7 the deregistration of more than #ab1jjj mostly local ,n,g,os in ,november #bjai2 7#b7 the freezing of the bank accounts of some ,n,g,os in ,december #bjbj2 and 7#c7 a broader range of actions designed to intimidate civil society1 such as the denial of entry or deportation of some leaders of international ,n,g,os in #bjbj2 ,whereas independent media outlets in ,uganda have been placed under increasing duress by the ,museveni ,administration through regulatory and other administrative and legal actions designed to intimidate journalists who report independently2 ,whereas journalists working for foreign media outlets are now required to re-register with ,ugandan authorities or risk criminal penalties and some foreign journalists have been deported from the country2 ,whereas ,ugandan authorities have sought to undermine digital rights1 including by-- 7#a7 subjecting people with large social media followings to onerous administrative regulation through the ,uganda ,communications ,commission public notice of ,september #bjbj and prior regulatory acts of the ,uganda ,communications ,commission2 7#b7 imposing burdensome taxes on social media users2 7#c7 blocking access to social media during the #bjaf elections2 and 7#d7 prosecuting some individuals who have criticized the ,museveni ,administration on social media platforms2 ,whereas although ,uganda is home to one of the premiere institutions of higher education in ,africa 7,makerere ,university71 ,ugandan authorities have taken repeated action to suppress academic freedom and intimidate students and faculty that have been critical of the ,museveni ,administration1 including by firing and jailing professors who criticize the regime2 ,whereas same-sex relations in ,uganda remain criminalized under section #ade of the ,penal ,code ,act1 and people who identify as lesbian1 gay1 bisexual1 transgender1 or queer 7referred to in this preamble as ,,lgbtq persons7 face a range of direct punitive action from ,ugandan authorities1 such as arrest and detention1 and a permissive environment that encourages impunity for attacks against ,,lgbtq persons2 ,whereas the ,museveni ,administration has deployed an escalating array of repressive measures before the ,january #bjba elections1 including placing uneven and partisan limits on the campaign activity of leading opposition candidates and arresting some candidates1 which have triggered protests and the subsequent use of force by the security apparatus to put down the protests1 which led to the deaths of at least #bh people in ,november #bjbj3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the ,museveni ,administration's assault on democratic freedoms1 including attacks on opposition politicians1 assaults on journalists and media freedoms1 and burdensome restrictions on nongovernmental organizations2 7#b7 urges the ,government of ,uganda-- 7,a7 to respect the rights enshrined in the ,constitution of the ,republic of ,uganda 7referred to in this resolution as the ,constitution7 and relevant international obligations1 particularly the rights to freedom of movement1 expression1 information1 religion1 association1 equality1 privacy1 and personal security2 and 7,b7 to take immediate steps to improve the pre-election environment and to create conditions for credible democratic elections in ,january #bjba that enable ,ugandan citizens the opportunity to freely exercise their right to vote2 7#c7 calls upon the ,government of ,uganda and ,president ,museveni-- 7,a7 to repeal repressive laws and administrative actions that are contrary to the principles of good governance1 a healthy democracy1 and the rights enumerated in the ,constitution1 such as-- 7i7 colonial-era laws that target the ,,lgbtq community2 and 7ii7 the ,uganda ,communications ,commission's ,september #bjbj public notice that1 in conjunction with other regulations1 undermines digital rights2 7,b7 to allow citizens1 civil society organizations1 and political parties to assemble peacefully and to freely express their views2 7,c7 to immediately lift uneven and partisan restrictions on political activities1 including the uneven1 partisan1 and violent application of ,,covid-#ai restrictions on opposition political gatherings and rallies1 and to safely allow opposition parties to hold political rallies1 meetings1 and demonstrations at times of their choosing2 7,d7 to provide transparent1 consistent1 and nonintrusive procedures for nongovernmental organizations to register1 and to enable them to carry out programs and other legal activity without interference from the state authorities2 7,e7 to safeguard press and academic freedom1 in accordance with the ,constitution and the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 adopted in ,paris ,december #aj1 #aidh2 7,f7 to condemn threats and attacks against opposition political parties and civil society1 and to ensure accountability for harassment1 intimidation1 or physical attacks on members of the opposition2 7,g7 to end the escalating campaign of repression against opposition candidates and their parties before the ,january #bjba elections2 and 7,h7 to guarantee the ability of domestic and international election observers to monitor the ,january #bjba polls without hindrance2 7#d7 calls on the ,secretary of ,state1 and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the ,united ,states ,government to continue-- 7,a7 to speak out against the ,government of ,uganda's efforts to undermine democracy2 and 7,b7 to hold the ,government of ,uganda accountable for respecting the rights of its citizens1 in accordance with its ,constitution and international obligations1 including by-- 7i7 considering the imposition of targeted sanctions and visa restrictions on actors involved in undermining credible1 transparent elections1 or for perpetrating or abetting human rights abuses2 7ii7 leading international partners and institutions1 including those in ,africa1 in developing and implementing strategies and actions to promote and defend human1 civil1 and political rights and multiparty democracy in ,uganda2 7iii7 immediately conducting a review of ,united ,states ,government assistance and cooperation with the ,government of ,uganda for the purposes of reprioritizing areas and sectors of assistance should neutral observers determine that the ,january #bjba polls do not meet internationally accepted standards for credible elections2 and 7iv7 insisting on full and public investigations that ensure accountability for acts of violence1 harassment and intimidation perpetrated against political opposition1 journalists1 and members of civil society1 especially before and after the ,january #bjba elections4