Youth Climate Defenders Released Following Petitions to Stop Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda
Kampala, Uganda — Over a dozen youth climate defenders have been successfully released from prison in Uganda following a series of unclear and confusing circumstances at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kampala.
On Friday, April 17, eight youth from the Stop EACOP campaign were scheduled for a morning sentencing for their 2025 protest staged at the Stanbic Bank in Nairobi against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Even though the constitution of Uganda mandates mandatory bail, the youth have been in excessive pre-trial detention since August 2025, which is widely considered a violation of human rights because it undermines the right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.
On the morning of scheduled sentencing, the magistrate directed the court to return at 2PM for judgment. In a shocking turn of events, the court convicted and sentenced the activists to eleven months in prison during lunch break. Their legal team was not present at the time of sentencing.
Last week, their lawyers visited the youth climate defenders in prison. After a series of consultations with the Department at the Prison, the department’s correction officers accounted for time spent on remand since August 2025 and all eight defenders’ were released on remission.
“This case represents a due process violation and the shrinking of civic space, with the court's actions running amok. On April 17, 2026, the court explicitly directed all parties to return at 2:00 pm for our client's sentencing; however, the court proceeded in their absence and without notice, contravening fundamental principles of transparency, fairness, and due process. Thus, the denial of bail flagrantly violates the presumption of innocence, and the conviction appears wrongful, given the nine months of detention for a minor offense, with no credible evidence. We hereby express profound dissatisfaction with the way this case has been adjudicated and have filed an appeal, as the decision establishes a troubling precedent that threatens to undermine constitutional rights and erodes the rule of law,” said Doreen Namara, Executive Director, Liberty Pro Bono and one of the lawyers for the defenders.
According to another lawyer on the case, “This trial contravened fundamental principles of a fair hearing, being influenced by the emotions of the state and judicial officers, thereby violating all non-derogable standards of justice. We firmly oppose the conviction and sentence and have appealed to ensure that lower courts adhere strictly to the rule of law and exercise their judicial powers appropriately," said Ronald Samuel Wanda, Managing Partner at Matsiko, Wanda & Arinda Advocates, lead counsel and one of the lawyers representing the activists.
Six Additional Student Activists Released
The proposed EACOP is a 1,443-kilometer (nearly 900-mile) pipeline that would connect the oilfields in western Uganda with the port of Tanga in eastern Tanzania. The crude oil will be transported to refineries in the Netherlands. The majority owner is French multi-national oil and gas corporation, TotalEnergies.
The pipeline, which would move over 230,000 oil barrels each day, has experienced strong opposition in Uganda, Tanzania, and Europe over human rights and environmental concerns. As opposition to the pipeline’s construction has surged over the last three years, Ugandans have witnessed a series of legal reprisals for non-violent protest against EACOP’s construction, which is protected under Uganda’s constitution.
Additionally, a team of lawyers representing climate activists across Uganda, in collaboration with CliDef, obtained a police bond on April 22 for six student activists who were arrested two days prior for marching to TotalEnergies’ offices in Kampala, with a petition demanding an end to the EACOP project and investment in renewable energy instead.
Over 50 youth defenders delivered the petition which read, in part, ”The projects promise only to deepen the crisis of climate collapse, exacerbating droughts, floods, and extreme weather events that disproportionately affect African communities, who have contributed the least to the climate crisis but suffer its worst impacts.”
Global Climate Legal Defense’s Legal Support in Uganda
Global Climate Legal Defense has supported climate defenders with legal strategy and local lawyers, to ensure that climate defenders get the legal support they need. The organization has provided legal representation to several hundred climate defenders in Uganda who have faced arrests, frivolous criminal charges, detention, and lawsuits for their advocacy, and has obtained the release of more than two hundred people from jail.
“Protecting climate defenders is essential not only to the success of the global climate movement, but also to the integrity of democracy itself. These individuals serve as first responders and the firewall of both the planet's health and democratic principles. They play a crucial role in safeguarding accountability, upholding the rule of law, and protecting land, communities, and biodiversity from threats such as corruption, exploitation, and environmental destruction,” said Alfred Brownell, president of Global Climate Legal Defense.
“When climate defenders are imprisoned or killed, vital protests, legal actions, and advocacy efforts are often silenced or severely hindered. This suppression allows environmental damage to persist unchecked and enables governance rollbacks, reversals, and harmful policies to be implemented without safeguards, checks, and balances, and resistance. Such actions weaken the global effort to develop effective climate solutions and embolden corporations and governments to pursue damaging projects, often falsely justified as development or green transitions. Ensuring their safety is therefore a fundamental step toward building a sustainable future, fostering true democracy, and effectively combating climate change,” said Brownell.
Following the releases, the activists’ legal team will be working on a set of appeals on behalf of their clients.
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About Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef)
Global Climate Legal Defense uses the law to keep climate defenders free to speak and act. We offer legal advice and strategy, coordination, and funds for legal defense. We build and strengthen a network of diverse lawyers and legal organizations to serve the climate movement. Learn more: www.climatelegaldefense.org