Both ENDS

News / 15 April 2024

Statement of International Civil Society Organisations in response to the abduction of Stephen Kwikiriza, community environmental defender in Uganda

Update Monday June 10: On the evening of June 9 Stephen has been found abandoned on the side of the road. His condition is bad, after having suffered severe beatings, mistreatment and abuse through the week. He is alive, safe and reconnecting with his family. We thank everyone that has shared the solidarity statement. This international pressure helped in ensuring his release. 

 

June 8: This is a joint statement by over 115 international civil society organisations to call upon the Ugandan authorities to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Stephen Kwikiriza, who has been held incommunicado since his abduction by plain clothed officers in Kampala on 4 June 2024.

Stephen_Kwikiriza

 

On 4th June 2024, Stephen Kwikiriza, a member of the Kingfisher community was abducted in Kampala under alarming circumstances. The Kingfisher project is an oil project in western Uganda on the shores of Lake Albert, developed by the Chinese company China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), of which TotalEnergies is the main shareholder. The project will extract oil to be transported by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).


Stephen went into town that morning. His wife later reported that he was abducted by the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF, Ugandan army) officers in plain clothes. He managed to send a text message to the Environmental Governance Institute (EGI), a local organization supporting project affected persons, confirming his arrest. No further communication has been received from Stephen since. All his known phone numbers are currently off. On 5th June 2024, Stephen's wife reported the case of the missing person at Seeta police station, but has yet to hear anything and still no information has been provided about him. The lawyers are finalising an application for habeas corpus demanding all the security agencies in Uganda to produce Stephen in court.


Stephen's abduction follows previous threats he received from the UPDF deployed in Kingfisher due to which he had been staying in an undisclosed safe location since mid-March. We are strongly concerned that the abduction of Stephen is a retaliation for speaking out against human rights abuses and threats to the livelihood of his community due to the Kingfisher oil project.


The abduction of Stephen fits into a broader pattern of indiscriminate violence against local communities, activists, students, journalists, and environmental groups speaking out against human rights abuses and threats to the environment due to oil projects in Uganda. On May 27th, seven Stop EACOP activists were arrested outside the Chinese embassy in Kampala for holding a peaceful demonstration calling on China to stop plans to support EACOP. They were released on police bond and are still battling police cases. Again, on May 30 2024, a group of project affected community members protested and later presented a petition to Daqing Oilfield Construction Group, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned oil and gas giant China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), concerning the impacts of the project on their livelihoods. On June 3rd, one of them was arrested and detained in Kikuube police station while others managed to escape and remain on the run.


The signatories of this statement stand in solidarity with Stephen, EGI and Ugandan civil society organisations and urge the Ugandan authorities to:

  • Immediately and unconditionally release Stephen Kwikiriza, as the undersigned believe that he was abducted and is being held solely as a result of his legitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights and the environment.
  • Ensure Stephen's human rights are respected and, pending his release, ensure that the treatment of Stephen Kwikiriza adheres to the conditions set out in the 'Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988.
  • Cease all forms of harassment of civil society organisations and community members living in and speaking out on the EACOP Kingfisher project and all other related oil projects, including the Tilenga project, and guarantee in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisal.

Signed,

Organization

Country

Both ENDS

Global

Milieudefensie

Netherlands

Ekō

Global

350 US

US

BankTrack

the Netherlands

SOMO

The Netherlands

Reclaim Finance

International

Friends of the Earth Europe

Belgium

Africa Coal Network

Africa

Hawkmoth

Global

350Africa.org

Regional - Africa

Amis de la Terre France / Friends of the Earth France

France

NOAH - Friends of the Earth Denmark

Denmark

Drynet

Global

Urgewald

Germany

Friends of the Earth U.S.

United States

Coal Action Network

United Kingdom

Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management (CECIC)

Uganda

Friends of the Earth International

International

Global Witness

UK

Climate RIghts International

Global

Christian Climate Action

United Kingdom’s

Profundo

Netherlands

Strategic Response on Environmental Conservation

Uganda

Inclusive Development International

United States

Tipping Point UK

United Kingdom

Organization For Community Engagement (OCE)

Tanzania

Justice Movement Uganda

Uganda

Human Rights Media Trust

South Africa

Climate Clock

Democratic Republic of Congo

Fridays For Future Uganda

Uganda

198 methods

United States

Green Conservers (GC)

Tanzania

Tasha research Institute Africa

Uganda

Laudato Si’ Movement

Global

Quest For Growth and Development Foundation

Nigeria

The Green Connection

South Africa

Extinction Rebellion Haringey

United Kingdom

Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg

South Africa

Center for Environmental Research and Agricultural Innovations

Uganda

Youth for environmental justice and climate Action (YEVA)

Uganda

StopTotal

France

CESTA Amigos de la Tierra

El Salvador

Youth for Green Communities (YGC)

Uganda

Vessel Project of Louisiana

United States

International Union of the Conservation of Nature - Committee of the Netherlands

Netherlands

Just Share

South Africa

Mouvement Ecologique

Luxembourg

Greater Whange Residents Trust

Zimbabwe

Movimiento Rios Vivos

Costa Rica

Amadiba crisis committee, South Africa

South Africa

Foundation for Environmental Management and Campaign Against Poverty

Tanzania

Extinction Rebellion UK

United Kingdom

Earthlife Africa Jhb

South Africa

Pro Natura / Friends of the Earth Switzerland

Switzerland

Dhrubotara Youth Development Foundation

Bangladesh

Justice Institute Guyana

Guyana

Natural Justice

Southern Africa

Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment

Armenia

Bank.Green

US, UK

Finance for Systemic Change, University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

Friends of the Earth Malta

Malta

Rinascimento Green

Italy

Breakfree Suisse

Suisse

Laudato 'si'

Tanzania

Biofuelwatch

Europe/USA

Global Gas and Oil Network

Global -present in all regions

 

Agir pour la Reconstruction de Notre Espace et la Convivialité en sigle AGIREC

Democratic Republic of Congo

Recourse

Netherlands

Centre pour la Justice Environnementales-Togo

Togo

Solidarite CI sutura

Sénégal

SolidaritéS

Suiza

European Coordination Via Campésina

Europa

Reclaim Finance

Monde

Center for International Environmental Law

USA

MenaFem Movement for Economic, Development And Ecological Justice

Morocco/MENA

Elsploitatie

Netherlands / Pays-Bas

Coordinadora de organización campesinas e indigenas de la huasteca potosina AC

Mexico

UNION DES FEMMES OPPRIMEES

Democratic Republic of Congo

Let’s stop Eacop UK

United Kingdom

Red de Información y Acción Ambiental de Veracruz

Mexique

Africans Rising

Africa wide

Western Agency for Sustainable Development

Uganda

Plateforme Haitienne de Plaidoyer pour un Développement Alternatif (PAPDA)

Haiti

CartoCrítica, A.C.

Mexico

Génération Consciente pour l’Environnement et la Culture ( GCEC Cameroun )

Cameroun

Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO)

Germany

Coordination Climat Justice Sociale

Switzerland

Conexiones Climáticas

México

AidClimat/Coalicion global de los pueblos frente al extractivismo

Senegal

Community Transformation Foundation Network (COTFONE)

Uganda

CooperAcción

Peru

Extinction Rebellion Houston

USA

Alianza Mexicana contra el Fracking

México

Extinction Rebellion UK

United Kingdom

Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Incorporated

Papua New Guinea

Bargny coast waterkeeper

Sénégal

BreakFree Collective

Switzerland

Green Conservers

Tanzania

Health Of Mother Earth Foundation South Sudan

South Sudan

Center for Biological Diversity

United States

Extinction Rebellion Cape Town

South Africa

Haki Yetu

Kenya

Centre for Natural Resource Governance

Zimbabwe

Landless Peoples Movement SA

South Africa

Amigos de la Tierra en España

Spain

Oil Change International

Global

Instituto Natura

Peru

Gram Bharati Samiti

India

Climate Clock

Democratic Republic of Congo

Socio Economic Research and Development Centre SERDEC

Nigeria

Kalkal Human Rights Development Organization (KAHRDO)

 

Somalia

Lutte et Contemplation

France

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