Two March 2004 articles refer to the arrest of members of the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) by the police (New Vision 19 Mar. 2004; Monitor 1 Mar. 2004). According to the article in New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper, violent confrontations set members of two organizations, one of which was the UYD, against the Ugandan police in the town of Masaka (19 Mar. 2004). The same article added that some members of those organizations "who had vowed to stage a rally" in that town were beaten and others were arrested by police during this confrontation that lasted about three hours (New Vision 19 Mar. 2004). The Monitor article indicates that the Ugandan police "dispersed a political rally" by the UYD at Nakulabye Market [in Kampala] and arrested some of its members (1 Mar. 2004).

In a 9 December 2003 Agence France Presse (AFP) article, Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) "condemned attacks by [Ugandan] police and militia," during which journalists were physically attacked while "covering an opposition meeting" in the southwestern town of Kabale. The same article added that, during the attack, several UYD members were injured when police stormed their meeting (AFP 9 Dec. 2003).

In a 17 April 2003 report, Amnesty International (AI) published a list of 21 UYD leaders and members who "were transferred from military custody in Gulu municipality, northern Uganda, to Kigo prison in . . . Kampala on 14 November 2002." According to the same report, all of these people had "campaigned on behalf of the Democratic Party during the local government elections in Gulu in March 2002" (AI 17 Apr. 2003). Amnesty International indicated that the charges against the UYD members by the Ugandan authorities were politically motivated (ibid.).

No information on the activities of the UYD in Mbale or on the name of the UYD youth leader in the Mbale section could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, Leander Komakech is the UYD president (New Vision 2 July 2004; ibid. 1 Mar. 2004) and Michael Mabikke is the UYD secretary general (ibid. 13 May 2004; Monitor 15 Jan. 2003).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 9 December 2003. "Press Watchdog Condemns Attack on Ugandan Journalists." (Dialog)

Amnesty International (AI). 17 April 2003. "Fear for Safety / Fear of Torture or Ill-Treatment / Possible Extrajudicial Execution." (AI Index: AFR 59/005/2003) http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR590052003?open&of=ENG-UGA [Accessed 7 July 2004]

Monitor [Kampala]. 1 March 2004. "Police Stop Rally." (Dialog)

_____. 15 January 2003. "DP Snubs Govt Threat to Ban Parties After Jan. 17 Deadline." (Dialog)

New Vision [Kampala]. 2 July 2004. "In Brief: UYD Attacks Museveni." http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/369814 [Accessed 7 July 2004]

_____. 13 May 2004. Hamis Kaheru. "I'm Still in DP, Says Kisamba." http://www.government.go.ug/news/index.php?myId=1130 [Accessed 7 July 2004]

_____. 19 March 2004. "Uganda: Police Battle Anti-Museveni Third Term Activists." (Dialog/BBC International Reports)

_____. 1 March 2004. "UYD Hails Norwegian Government On Aid." (Dialog)

Publications: Africa Confidential, Africa Research Bulletin, Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, Amnesty International, BBC Africa, Dialog, ecoi.net, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Indian Ocean Newsletter, MISNA, ReliefWeb.