UGANDA: Police arrest 56 for holding illegal meetings

Ugandan police have arrested 56 people for holding illegal assemblies, the police said on Thursday, but an opposition official accused them of cracking down on opponents of a plan by the president to extend his rule.  The government said last week it wants to change the constitution to remove the age limit for presidential candidates, […]

Ugandan police have arrested 56 people for holding illegal assemblies, the police said on Thursday, but an opposition official accused them of cracking down on opponents of a plan by the president to extend his rule. 

The government said last week it wants to change the constitution to remove the age limit for presidential candidates, potentially enabling the 72-year-old Museveni to stay in office beyond 2021. 

Police said the opposition activists were arrested as they held meetings in the suburbs north of the capital Kampala for “holding unlawful assemblies,” which violates a public order management law.