The United States on Monday expanded a visa restriction policy on Ugandan officials to include those it believes are responsible for undermining democracy and repressing marginalized groups in Uganda, while also announcing a new visa restriction policy for officials in Zimbabwe.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States would refuse visas to current or former officials, and their family members, if found to be involved in "repressing members of marginalized or vulnerable populations."
"These groups include, but are not limited to, environmental activists, human rights defenders, journalists, LGBTQI+ persons and civil society organisers," Blinken said in a statement.
"I once again strongly encourage the government of Uganda to make concerted efforts to uphold democracy and to respect and protect human rights so that we may sustain the decades-long partnership between our countries that has benefited Americans and Ugandans alike," he said.
Blinken also announced a new visa restriction policy for those he said were undermining democracy in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa won a second term in a disputed vote in August, which the opposition described as a "gigantic fraud" amid criticism from election observers who say the election failed to meet regional and international standards.
"Anyone who undermines the democratic process in Zimbabwe - including in the lead-up to, during, and following Zimbabwe's August 2023 elections - may be found ineligible for US visas under this policy," Blinken said.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
