Drop treason charges against child abductees, says HRW

The government of Uganda should immediately drop treason charges against two minors who were abducted and forcibly conscripted by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, said Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday. "Treason is a very serious charge and should not be used against children who have been abducted by force and compelled to commit acts of violence," said Jo Becker, Children's Rights Advocacy director for HRW in a statement. The two boys, aged 14 and 16, were charged with treason in late 2002 and are due to appear in court on 6 March and 20 March respectively. They have been released on bail pending their hearing. Both boys had reported to HRW that they were abducted by the LRA and forced to fight against the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel group and the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF). They said they had voluntarily surrendered to the UPDF, but had not been informed of the basis for the treason charges against them, HRW reported. "Children are inherently different from adults, and lack an adult's maturity and judgement. In the context of the northern Uganda conflict, where children are routinely forcibly abducted, severely brutalised and compelled to participate in acts of violence, they are rarely autonomous actors," said HRW Executive Director, Lois Whitman, in a letter sent last month to Ugandan Justice Minister Janat Mukwaya. HRW said the two minors may qualify for an amnesty under the Amnesty Act granted by the Ugandan government in 2000. It added that they should be released immediately to World Vision or Gulu Support the Children Organisation (GUSCO) - both NGOs - for rehabilitation and reintegration assistance.