Ugandan student Activists remanded in prison for Opposing Oil Pipeline

On the eve of the COP28 climate summit, seven Ugandan youth activists find themselves imprisoned in a maximum prison for petitioning their government to halt the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

The university students were arrested on November 24th after peacefully marching to Parliament to hand over a plea asking Uganda to #StopEACOP and shift support towards renewable energy instead. After being detained for days without charges, the activists were finally brought to court only to have the state prosecutor not even show up. The presiding magistrate took advantage of this legal loophole and sent all seven students to Luzira Maximum Security Prison. They will remain in jail until at least December 8th, when their case will come up for mention in court.

This grave injustice has been condemned by climate activists worldwide as Uganda attempts to silence dissent and push forward the US $ 5 billion dirty oil project against popular opposition. It also exposes the stark disconnect between Uganda's repression of environmental defenders and global calls to phase down fossil fuel finance.

The incident follows a similar move days prior when security forces arrested seven other EACOP protestors for holding protests outside the Chinese Embassy in petitioning against the pipeline being funded by Chinese oil interests. This points to a wider trend of using courts to undermine climate activism and punish youth advocating for a safer, cleaner future.

We strongly criticize the weaponization of Uganda's courts to stifle civic freedoms and call for all seven wrongfully jailed students to be immediately and unconditionally released.

Access the full press release here to learn more. Stay updated by joining the digital movement to #StopEACOP! Follow on Twitter @stopEACOP