The US-based organisation Human Rights Watch said an...

The US-based organisation Human Rights Watch said an "overly broad definition" of terrorism in the Suppression of Terrorism Bill under consideration in the Ugandan parliament means there is a risk that innocent people or petty criminals could be "branded" as terrorists.
Under the bill, the unlawful possession of firearms was defined as terrorism, and publishing news that was "likely to promote terrorism" could lead to up to 10 years' imprisonment, HRW said. The bill proposes a mandatory death sentence for those found guilty of terrorism as defined under the proposed legislation.
"The parliament is at a historic moment. It can either decide to restrict civil liberties and human rights by passing stringent laws, or it can establish a firm grounding for the respect of human rights," Alison Des Forges, senior adviser at the Africa division of HRW, said in a statement.