Hearing Delayed Again for Jailed Ugandan Student Climate Activists

Seven Ugandan youth activists face extended unjust imprisonment after the adjournment of their hearing this morning because of an absent magistrate. They remain jailed for petitioning Parliament to halt the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

Lawyers were left waiting as the 9 AM session at Buganda Road Court was adjourned. Bail was denied, forcing continued remand until December 19th December in deplorable prison conditions. The students have been at Luriza Maximum Prison since the eve of COP28 after the State Attorney failed to attend the hearing, leading many human rights activists and supporters of the StopEACOP campaign to see it as an attempt by the judiciary to undermine these students’ right to be heard.

This mirrors the coercion underway in Buliisa, where 42 families are being sued to forfeit land for Total's Tilenga oil project after dismissing inadequate compensation. Read the full press release from AFIEGO here.

As the Global Witness investigation revealed, such intimidation tactics are enabling EACOP. Even as the students are denied justice, project-affected people see their rights disregarded in Uganda's ruthless push to operationalize extraction. Read StopEACOP’s full statement on this systemic denial of rights fueling the controversial EACOP pipeline here.