The United Kingdom government has issued sanctions against different individuals from 11 countries across the globe.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a new round of sanctions aimed at corrupt actors, those who violate and abuse human rights, and perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict.
The former Inspector General of Police, General Kale Kayihura, is among the individuals that have been sanctioned.
According to the statement, while Kayihura was in charge of the police from 2005 to 2018, he oversaw multiple units responsible for human rights violations, including torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and punishment.
General Kayihura was sanctioned alongside Mian Abdul Haq, a Muslim cleric from Pakistan who was responsible for forced conversions and marriages of religious minorities’ girls and women; Sadrach Zelodon Rocha and Yohaira Hernandez Chirino, the mayor and deputy mayor of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The two are said to be involved in promoting and supporting grievous violations of human rights.
The UK also sanctioned Andrey Tishenin, a member of the Russian Federal Security Service in Crimea, and Artur Shambazov, a senior detective in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In 2015, the pair tortured Ukrainian Oleksandr Kostenko.
On the list of sanction is also Valentin Oparin, Major of Justice for the Russian Federation, and Oleg Tkachenko, Head of Public Prosecutions for the Rostov region. Both are accused of obstructing complaints of torture, with Tkachenko also using torture to extract testimony.
“These sanctions demonstrate the UK’s commitment to defend free societies and the human rights of everyone, everywhere,” James Cleverly said.
He added, “It is our duty to promote free and open societies around the world. Today our sanctions go further to expose those behind the heinous violations of our most fundamental rights to account.”
Meanwhile, three years ago, the United States government, through its Treasury Department, imposed sanctions Gen Kayihura for reportedly engaging in corruption and human rights abuses.
The US government claimed on September 13, 2019, that Kayihura directly supervised the torture of prisoners at the Nalufenya Police Special Investigations Facility in Jinja.
Kayihura is Uganda’s longest-serving IGP (13 years). He was sacked by President Museveni in March 2018 and later arrested.
Before being released on bail, he was arraigned in the military court-martial on several charges.