Paris-Geneva,
December 26, 2019 - The two Ugandan witnesses who testified in France on December
12 in the trial against Total for its activities in Uganda[1] now have clear reasons to fear for their lives, after further
intimidation and threatening acts upon their return to Uganda and to their
village. Friends of the Earth France, Survie and the Observatory for the
Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a FIDH-OMCT partnership) express their
deep concern for their physical and moral integrity and call for an immediate
end to all forms of persecution.
Unknown
men attempted to break into farmer Fred
Mwesigwa's house late on the
night of December 23 and again the following night, forcing through the metal
doors and wooden structures of his house, which fortunately held. After their
second failure, these men locked Fred Mwesigwa into his house with padlocks. As
a result of these attacks, he was able to take refuge yesterday in a secret
location.
The
pressure began as soon as the two witnesses arrived at the Kampala airport:
community leader Jelousy Mugisha was arrested and questioned for
nearly nine hours[2]. But it has reached another level since their return home to Buliisa,
in the heart of the area where Total is working to develop a mega oil project.
At
the same time, according to various local informants, Moses Ogamhogwa, a Total
Uganda employee based in Buliisa, whom Total SA brought to France for the
December 12 hearing at the Nanterre High Court, is allegedly spreading false
information to the community about Jelousy Mugisha. Indeed, the head of
relations with the affected communities allegedly reported that Jelousy Mugisha
had lied during his testimony in France. In addition to threatening Jelousy
Mugisha, this misinformation to the communities creates a deleterious climate
of confusion and fear.
According
to Thomas Bart, a Survie activist who coordinated the on-site investigation,
"Although there is no evidence to incriminate Total and its
subcontractors, if anything were to happen to our witnesses, it would be
perceived on-site as retaliation and would reinforce the idea that it is not
possible to oppose the oil giant when it threatens the rights of the
populations".
For
Juliette Renaud, campaign manager for Friends of the Earth France, "These
new intimidations are likely to dissuade those affected from asserting their
rights, which is unacceptable. We are genuinely concerned for the safety of
these two witnesses, and potentially for the safety of other members of their
communities."
For
the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, "the
safety of defenders must be guaranteed, otherwise Total should not agree to
move forward on this project".
Survie,
Friends of the Earth France and the Observatory remain attentive to the
situation of the witnesses and call for their immediate securing.
[1] Total Uganda: historic first hearing on the duty
of care, December 12, 2019: https://www.amisdelaterre.org/Total-Ouganda-premiere-audience-historique-sur-le-devoir-de-vigilance.html
[2] Further intimidation of one of the Uganda witnesses in the trial against Total in Paris : https://www.amisdelaterre.org/Nouvelle-intimidation-d-un-des-temoins-ougandais-venu-dans-le-cadre-du-proces.html and Arbitrary detention and release of Mr. Jelousy
Mugisha following his testimony in France in a case against Total : https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/uganda-arbitrary-detention-and-release-of-mr-jelousy-mugisha &
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