Pagirinya, August 24-2016; Four south
Sudanese refugees who were beaten by Ugandan police and army last week have
succumbed to their injuries. The beating by the Ugandan police and army was
ordered by the UNHCR field coordinator of Adjumani.
The exhausted refugees after leaving
their homes have yet arrived in Uganda to face death, and since their arrival
in Pagirinya camp, situated between Adjumani and Atiak, the refugees having
been living in open space without shelters and food, most of them are surviving
with the little cash send by their relatives who are in America, Canada, Europe
and Australia, and those who have no relatives are left to lineup for porridge
each day, the weakest and the elderly who cannot resist the extreme heat of
Pagirinya ended up spending their whole day online but at the end of the day
have nothing to eat.
The four refugees who died from their
injuries were part of the refugees forced and in some instances they were
forcibly being thrown into trucks by the police and taken to Yumbe District.
All the four died for their injuries after they were beaten by Ugandan police
and army.
With the order of their family members,
the bodies of the deceased were returned yesterday on Tuesday from Yumbe to
Adjumani for burial.
Among the death include a pregnant
woman who was kicked by the police badly on her stomach this cause the 6months
old unborn baby to died inside her womb according to the Dr who treated her
before she died. The Ugandan Dr who preferred anonymity said the unborn baby
died because the kicking was severely this has resulted into “stop of heat
beat” of the baby, and the foetus died before the mother said the doctor.
Many refugees who spoke to this website
expressed their dissatisfaction against the UNHCR for triggering the killing;
they said had UNHCR honored its obligation of looking after the refugees and
supplied them with decent food not animal food, the killing would have been
avoided. The refugees have accused the UNHCR for denying them (refugees) their
fundamental Geneva Convention Rights of 1951, UN declaration of Refugee rights.
This includes the right for protection.
The core principle is non-renouncement,
which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they
face serious threats to their life and freedom. This is now considered as rule
of customary international law. And Ugandan police and army should have known
this.
According to Geneva Convention, UNHCR
serves as the guardian of the 1951 convention and its 1967 protocol. And
according to the legislation, states are expected to protect refugees this
includes Uganda as part of UN family. Uganda is expected to insure the rights
of Refugees are respected and protected.
Therefore South Sudan Liberty as it
stands for the core rights of Human Rights, we strongly condemned the brutality
of Ugandan police and army against South Sudanese refugees in Pagirinya, these
are law abiding refugees only what they asked for is basic universal Rights.
Unfortunately Ugandan police and army have failed to do what is expected from
them and that is “ respect and protection”
courtesy of south Sudan liberty
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