An international law firm representing Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi has petitioned for the immediate suspension of Uganda and Tanzania from the Commonwealth, citing systemic human rights abuses and the erosion of democratic principles.
Amsterdam & Partners LLP filed the applications Tuesday on behalf of Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, and Tanzania’s opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo. The move seeks to pressure the two East African nations to comply with the Commonwealth Charter and the 1991 Harare Declaration.
The filing comes days before a scheduled March 7 meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, which is expected to review the political conditions in both countries.
Robert Amsterdam, the firm’s founder and Kyagulanyi’s international lawyer, said in a statement that allowing the two nations to remain in good standing while violations persist undermines the credibility of the 56-member association.
The firm argued that Uganda and Tanzania are responsible for persistent breaches of freedom of expression and assembly. The application specifically highlighted the arbitrary detention of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, which a U.N. working group recently declared unlawful.
The petition calls for the Commonwealth to impose suspension measures until both governments take verifiable steps toward protecting opposition rights and ensuring accountability for political violence.
The law firm noted that the Commonwealth has a history of such enforcement, pointing to the 2002 suspension of Zimbabwe following election-related violence.
The Ugandan government has previously dismissed calls for its removal from the association, which is composed primarily of former British colonies.
