Uganda's 2011 elections have already attracted significant attention from the US administration and the US Congress has called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to monitor the preparations for the elections. In order for this monitoring to be a worthwhile exercise it should look at the creation of a democratic space and the democratic process in the larger sense of the word. Key to this process, and to ensuring freer and fairer elections for political parties and voters alike, are human right rights defenders (HRDs), notably human rights activists and journalists. If the elections are going to be anywhere close to 'free and fair' the US must report on and respond to restrictions and violations on the rights of these actors especially their freedom of expression and association. The US must support the work of the human rights defenders in Uganda first and also throughout the East and Horn of Africa where key elections are scheduled in almost every country by 2012. A narrower approach would fail to give a true picture of the reality on the ground in this critical period and leave many, whose hopes have been raised by the enhanced attention, disillusioned.

Recent events suggest the Barack Obama administration is aware of the importance of human rights and human rights defenders in the democratic process. His administration has placed human rights at the centre of its agenda again by re-engaging, after the Bush era of disengagement, with key international mechanisms such as the United Nations Human Rights Council.

President Obama has also shown his personal commitment by dedicating time to defenders working on the frontline. On February 17, 2010, twenty-four human rights defenders including policy makers, activists and journalists were invited to the 2010 Washington Human Rights Summit hosted by American NGOs. The summit was to discuss key challenges faced by human rights defenders engaged in frontline struggles for freedom of speech and assembly throughout the world. The summit sought to develop a plan of action for the Obama administration aimed at enhancing the administration's efforts to defend democratic values and fundamental human rights.

President Barack Obama himself along with U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones and other key advisors meet with the group of defenders in person at the White House to discuss the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the work and safety of human rights defenders. This offered the defenders the key opportunity to call on the President to look at free and fair elections as being part of a wider context in each country.

East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders' Project ( EHAHRDP), the secretariat of a network of over 65 human rights defenders working throughout the sub-region that is based in Kampala, was invited to the summit. As Executive Director of EHAHRDP, I used the opportunity to highlight the deteriorating situation of HRDs, notably of human rights activists and journalists in Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The link between this deteriorating situation and the forthcoming elections in these countries is beyond doubt. Freedom of expression and association of defenders, especially in Ethiopia facing its first election since the contested elections of 2005, are being stifled through a range of measures: highly restrictive legislation, increased surveillance, unlawful closures of organisations and media houses and arbitrary arrest and detention of defenders. This is creating extensive self-censorship and fear; an environment that is clearly not conducive to free and fair elections even if on polling day no concrete rigging actually takes place.

Uganda also came under scrutiny for its proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill. A representative from the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Uganda at the summit, emphasised that such a bill would have a negative impact on all human rights work and called on the global human rights community to do more to support and defend minority groups at risk in Uganda.

Following the meeting, the White House released a statement in which President Obama commended the defenders for their challenging and risky work and pledged that his administration will continue to strive for universal standards in the protection of human rights.

To achieve this, his administration should make use of the Plan of Action drafted during the Human Rights Summit to steer the forthcoming US policies on HRDs, freedom of expression and association worldwide through policy formulation and significant diplomatic engagement in countries where these rights are threatened.

In particular the US should strengthen its Guiding Principles on NGOs issued in 2006 and ensure these are converted into concrete strategies for US embassies in countries where freedoms of association and expression are curtailed. Activities highlighted in the Plan of Action as key to supporting the independent media and human rights organisations are the monitoring of and public reporting on the trials of defenders, hosting of regular meetings with defenders to exchange information on their situation.

The Plan of Action also calls on the U.S. to maintain the integrity and independence of its foreign assistance and to speak out against legislation which aims to restrict the work of civil society organisations. In Uganda, for example, the US embassy could play an important part in supporting civil society organisations (CSOs) to create a more enabling legal environment for their work. A group of Ugandan CSOs petitioned the Constitutional Court in April 2009 for an interpretation of the NGO Registration Act, a law that allows the government to exercise considerable control over the work of CSOs. To-date however the petition has not been considered by the court and a date for the hearing is yet to be set. Such actions by civil society can receive a range of support, political, logistical as well as financial, from the US embassy.

The US government should turn its apparent commitment to the work of defenders into concrete action on the ground. Such action is crucial to safeguarding the freedoms of speech and assembly and will play a critical part in ensuring the freer and fairer elections it hopes for in Uganda and throughout our sub-region. The year ahead will be a significant test of the extent of this commitment.

The writer Hassan Shire Sheikh is Executive Director of EHAHRDP, an NGO based in Kampala, with assistance of Charlyn Kentaro, an intern at EHAHRDP.

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