The 

Covid 19 period was more notable for the quick decline in economic conditions and respect f
or human rights, both of which had an impact on the newly established democracy. 

President Yoweri Museveni announced a series of measures in March to stop the spread of the co
ronavirus, including a ban on using private and public transportation, the suspension of minor op
erations, the closure of bars, restaurants, and nonfood markets, as well as of schools, public place
s of worship, the airport, and the country's borders. 

The direct effects of COVID-19, including the loss of life, have been well-documented and wide
spread. For the first time in twenty years, there has been an increase in extreme poverty, with unp
leasant and sometimes disproportionate effects on livelihoods and marginalized or vulnerable co
mmunities. Worryingly, COVID19's primary and indirect effects have undoubtedly been most da
maging to nations with weak democratic institutions, low infrastructure, and subpar health and e
ducation systems. This brief examines how COVID19 affects civic space in vulnerable circumsta
nces within this paradigm. 1

For instance, continued abuse of the right to free speech and expression is prohibited under Articl
e 29(1)(a) of the Constitution, which states that everyone has this right, which also includes free
dom of the press and other media. Article 29(1)(a) of the Constitution provides that every person
shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the
press and other media. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976), in
Article 19(2), confers on everyone the right to freedom of expression, which entails freedom to
seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally,
in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of choice. The African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981), in Article 9(2), proclaims the right to express
and disseminate opinions within the law.Thus, the freedom of expression is recognised not only
in the Constitution but also in regional and international instruments.

 Prof. Alastair Mowbray, in his book Cases, Materials and Commentary on the European
Convention on Human Rights (3rd edn, OUP, 2012, p. 627) states that there are three categories
of expression. The first is political expression which includes media comment on political
1
‘Civic space’ in this UN Policy Brief is defined as “....the environment that enables people and groups — or ‘civic
space actors’ — to participate meaningfully in the political, economic, social and cultural life of their societies.” See
‘UN Guidance Note: Protection and Promotion of Civic Space,’ September 2020. https://www.ohchr.
org/Documents/Issues/CivicSpace/UN_Guidance_Note.pdf
figures, criticism of the government and its institutions, political advertising and academic
opinion. The second category is artistic expression which includes paintings, poetry and other
varieties of art. The third category is commercial expression which especially includes
advertising by companies.

These rights were infringed during the Covid era in the following ways: The public authority intr
oduced new requirements that restrict online expression. 

The Uganda Communications Commission said on September 7, 2021 that "suppliers of online i
nformation and correspondence," such as bloggers and online television providers, must apply fo
r clearance from the organization by October 5, 2020, and pay a fee of 100,000 Uganda shillings 
(US$26.82).

On July 24,2021, Ugandan police captured four entertainers, some portion of a gathering called
Bizonto, for a humorous video they posted internet approaching individuals to petition God for
top Ugandan government authorities. The video featured that the pioneers are all from the
western locale of the nation, suggesting that power is gathered in a gathering of men from one
district. The gathering was delivered following four days in detainment.

On July 27,2021, casually dressed police captured TV have Bassajja Mivule. Police expressed
recordings of him coursing via virtual entertainment "advance contempt." Mivule let media know
that when he was addressed, the police played video clasps of him talking about Pastor of Data
and Correspondences Innovation Judith Nabakooba, which they said was hostile toward her, and
one more in which Mivule revitalized Baganda individuals "to ascend," for which police blamed
him for advancing sectarianism.

On January 6, police obstructed public gatherings by official up-and-comer Robert Kyagulanyi,

otherwise called Bobi Wine, in Gayaza, right external the capital Kampala, saying Kyagulanyi
had not met every one of the prerequisites of POMA. As Kyagulanyi and his gathering were
social occasion to meet, police captured them and terminated teargas to scatter individuals from
the area.

During Covid there was serious erorion of Freedom from Torture and inhuman and degrading
punishment which is under Article 24 of the 1995 Constitution. Article 24 of the Constitution
guarantees freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This
guarantee is absolute and in fact prohibitory as per Article 44 (a) of the
Constitution. Consequently, under Article 24 Parliament enacted the Prevention and Prohibition
of Torture Act 2012, under which Section 2 (1) defines torture as any act or omission by which
severe pain or suffering whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person by or at
the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of any person whether a public official or
other person acting in an official or private capacity. Further, Section 3 (supra) provides for
prohibition of torture and the enjoyment of the right to freedom from torture shall be non-
derogable.

However the right was degraded during Covid as Security powers in Uganda beat, blackmailed,
shot, and captured individuals for purportedly neglecting to consent to the public authority's
Coronavirus limitations.

On March 23, media announced that troopers beat local people in Mityana area, outside
Kampala, guaranteeing they were not regarding the request to close bars. On March 24, Agnes
Linda Auma, occupant locale chief responsible for security in Amuru region, Northern Uganda,
compromised during a radio meeting to beat individuals who congregated out in the open spaces.

During COVID The right to liberty of Ugandans was alsoviolated by illegal Arrests and
detentions This right requires that the arrest and or the detention of an individual must be in
accordance with the law. The import of this right is, therefore, to protect the individual against
the excesses of the government and its agents. Right to liberty is broad as it includes the right
to life, right to have freedom of thought and expression of that thought because thoughts are
internal feelings that can only be expressed externally through words or actions and equality
before the law.

The right to liberty is very essential because of the following;

 It protects individuals from the tyranny of the majority and usually powerful agents of the
state.

 It establishes a base level of intellectual, spiritual, philosophical and economic diversity

that ensures that there is enough free and fair play of ideas in a society for the best
 solutions pertaining to prevailing political, economic and social or religious
circumstances.

The right to liberty is universal and focuses on protecting individual freedom from unreasonable
detention or imprisonment without a good cause. In Uganda, this right is provided for
under Article 23 of the 1995 constitution as a fundamental human right that should be protected.

Article 23(1) provides that, “No person shall be deprived of personal liberty except in any of
the following cases;

(c) For the purpose of bringing that person before a court in execution of the order of a court,
or upon reasonable suspicion that a person has committed a criminal offense under the laws
of Uganda.”

and Article 23(4) (b) provides that;

” A person arrested or detained upon reasonable suspicion of his or her having committed or
being about to commit a criminal offence shall if not earlier released, be brought to court as
soon as possible, in any case not later than 48 hours from the time of his or her arrest”

For example On February 5, 2020, Parliament’s human rights committee released discoveries

from an August 2019 examination concerning charges that the country's security organizations
were confining individuals in a few unacknowledged and ungazetted spots of confinement the
nation over frequently alluded to as "safe houses," and exposing prisoners to torment. The
committee found that specialists keep on working safehouses and to expose prisoners to torment
and mishandle, with close to add up to exemption.

Numerous members of the civil society and human rights watchdogs charged Uganda with "wea
ponizing" COVID19 for repression.  2It has been claimed that a number of reporters who were re
porting news articles about the epidemic or opposition candidates were physically attacked by la
w enforcement agents. 

2
Thomson Reuters, 2020, ‘Burkina Faso President Kabore secures re-election, preliminary results show,’ Thomson
Reuters, 26 November. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-burkina-election/ burkina-faso-president-kabore-secures-
re-election-preliminaryresults-show-idUKKBN2861JZ
3
The police also targeted LGBTQ+ organizations; during one raid on a refuge for the community
,4individuals were assaulted and taken into custody.  5In response,some UN human rights experts 
hypothesized that the Ugandan government was utilizing the pandemic response to specifically ta
rget LGBTQ+ people.  6On January 14, 2021, Uganda held legislative and presidential elections. 
Important opposition candidates were detained for violating COVID19 campaigning rules.  7

Overall, the lockdown was strictly enforced, and there were coplaintsof residents who disobeyed 
lockdown instructions were physically assaulted and even shot8This is also evident in the statistic
s, as the number of ACLED incidents more than doubled during COVID19 in comparison to the 
time before it. Police attempted to contain rioting associated with COVID-19 that made up a siza
ble number of these occurrences.

The majority of the instances involving violence against civilians in Q4 2020 and Q1 2021 were 
connected to the elections that were place in January.9With the adoption of discriminatory policie
s, Uganda's COVID-19 policies featured significant democratic breaches, according to V-
PanDem Dem's index10. The incumbent president Yoweri Museveni won the presidential electio
n in Uganda.

On the other side,thewell implemented lockdowns and other forms of government interference m
ay result in a rise in citizens' happiness with democracy or their level of confidence in the govern
ment (Bol et al., 2020). 

3
Deutsche Welle, 2020, ‘Burkina Faso's election overshadowed by terrorism,’ 20 November.
https://www.dw.com/en/burkina-fasoselection-overshadowed-by-terrorism/a-55674584; Mednick, S., 2020, ‘In
Burkina Faso's election, security concerns and disenfranchised voters,’ The New Humanitarian, 2 November.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2020/11/2/africaburkina-faso-elections-security-voters-
extremist-groups
4
Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), 2020, ‘Urgent Call for Safety of Journalists
Covering the Campaign to Curb COVID-19 in Uganda,’ 3 April. https://www.hrnjuganda.org/ urgent-call-for-
safety-of-journalists-covering-the-campaign-to-curbcovid-19-in-uganda/.
5
Human Rights Watch, 2020, ‘Uganda: Respect Rights in COVID-19 Response,’ 28 October.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/02/ uganda-respect-rights-covid-19-response.
6
OHCHR, 2020, ‘UN rights experts fear Uganda is using COVID-19 emergency powers to target LGBT people, 27
April. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews. aspx?NewsID=25832&LangID=E
7
Athumani, H. & Wroughton, L., 2020, ‘37 dead in Uganda protests after arrest of presidential candidate Bobi
Wine,’ The Washington Post, 20 November . https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ uganda-protests-bobi-
wine/2020/11/20/efe106ec-2aa6-11eb-9c21- 3cc501d0981f_story.htm
8
Human Rights Watch, 2020, ‘Uganda: Respect Rights in COVID-19 Response,’ 28 October.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/02/ uganda-respect-rights-covid-19-response.
9
According to ACLED data.
10
According to ACLED data.
Democratic governments are more successful in managing catastrophic events, such as pandemic
s or famines, than authoritarian regimes, and that politicians are under intense pressure to make q
uick and highstakes choices (Petersen, 2020)And the Museveni Government managed this by
placing a serious lock down for a long period of time .

Uganda was able to accomplish so by quickly implementing the health infrastructure and commu
nity responses designed to combat other infectious illnesses like HIV, TB, and malaria. The effec
tive implementation of testing, which is the first line of defense against COVID19, was made pos
sible by a strong network of laboratories and surveillance systems paired with welltrained human 
resources, including over 150 trained field epidemiologists dispersed around the nation.

Democracy and economic growth are causally related in both directions (Baklouti and Boujelben
e, 2018).The strongest support for democracy seems to be found in nations with comparatively hi
gh levels of economic growth (Andersen, 2012). Economic development enhances the likelihood 
that large institutional change will be toward democracy even if it hinders big institutional chang
e (Kennedy, 2010). In times of regime fragility, the likelihood that development will result in de
mocracy is increased (Miller, 2012). 

While the aforementioned causal link is widely acknowledged, the opposite relationship, which h
olds that democracy promotes state economic development, continues to spark vigorous discussi
on. While some academics contend that democracy promotes growth (Rodrik and Wacziarg, 200
5; Acemoglu et al., 2013), others (Przeworski and Limongi, 1993; Barro, 1997) doubt the effect 
of democracy on economic development.

However, it should be highlighted that official lockdowns have a little role and have little impact 
on viral transmission rates in many nations (Atkeson et al., 2020). 

Furthermore, a severe lockdown strategy generally did not result in decreased mortality but wrec
ks havoc on the economy (Bjrnskov, 2021).