East Africa is rapidly sliding into authoritarianism, with human rights violations on the rise across the region. Human rights organisations are raising the alarm over what appears to be a coordinated and deliberate campaign to restrict freedoms, dismantle civil society, and silence dissenting voices, including the media.

In a joint statement, human rights defenders from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania cited an alarming escalation of state-sanctioned repression.

In Uganda, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye remains in military detention despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring the trial of civilians in military courts unconstitutional. The court ordered that all such cases be transferred to civilian courts.