Rights groups seek foreign intervention in Njagi, Oyoo disappearance

Activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo. [File, Standard]

Three rights organisations have appealed to foreign embassies in Nairobi to intervene in the alleged enforced disappearance of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo in Uganda.

Amnesty International, VOCAL Africa and the Law Society of Kenya have written to multiple diplomatic missions, including those of the US, UK, EU, Germany, France and Canada, seeking assistance in securing the release of the two activists, who were reportedly abducted in Kampala on October 1.

The two men have been missing for 27 days.

In their joint letter dated October 29, the organisations claimed the activists were abducted by individuals believed to be Ugandan security operatives while participating in peaceful political activitiesAdding that the duo has been held incommunicado and denied legal counsel, contact with family members and medical care.

“We urge you to immediately engage and support all efforts the Government of Kenya and Uganda must now take to secure the immediate and unconditional release of these two young men,” the groups wrote.

The rights bodies raised concern over what they termed grave human rights violations, warning that the continued silence from authorities in both countries could set a dangerous precedent for transnational repression.

“The prolonged detention of individuals without communication, access to legal or consular representation or judicial oversight amounts to an enforced disappearance, a crime under international human rights law,” the letter reads.

They criticised the Ugandan court’s October 23 decision to dismiss a habeas corpus application filed in relation to the case, describing it as “deeply worrying.”

According to the groups, witnesses had privately confirmed that Njagi and Oyoo were forcefully kidnapped by uniformed officers at a fuel station in Kireka, Kampala.

The organisations said the Ugandan government’s failure to disclose the men's whereabouts violates the country’s Constitution, East African Community treaty obligations, and international human rights conventions.

“The continuing silence and inaction surrounding this matter punctures the rule of law, emboldens impunity and undermines the values both Uganda and Kenya have committed to uphold,” they added.

The groups have called on diplomatic missions to use their influence to push for the activists' release, urging them to press Kenya and Uganda to disclose the activists' whereabouts, guarantee their safety, allow access to lawyers and family, and investigate their alleged abduction.

“We need you to act now to protect the lives of Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo and demand justice, accountability and respect for the rule of law,” they said.