Idi Amin

Amin lived in exile, mainly in Saudi Arabia, until his death in 2003. Despite the massacres, torture, expulsions and other violations attributed to his regime, he was never tried.

State of the evidence

Documented

During the regime's eight years, civilians, opponents, military personnel, intellectuals and members of targeted groups suffered arbitrary arrest, torture, disappearance and murder. Historical estimates cited by Human Rights Watch range from 100,000 to 500,000 victims.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

Tanzanian forces and anti-Amin Ugandan groups captured Kampala; the regime collapsed and Amin fled, first to Libya and then to Saudi Arabia.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated

Amin's forces invaded the Kagera salient in Tanzania, and the regime claimed the annexation of approximately 1,800 square miles of territory. Tanzania responded militarily.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum, a critic of the regime's abuses, was arrested alongside ministers Erinayo Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi. All three died; the authorities claimed at the time that they had died in a car accident, an account widely rejected.

State of the evidence

Documented

Following the hijacking of an Air France flight by Palestinian and German militants, Amin publicly welcomed the hijackers at Entebbe and provided support from Ugandan forces before the Israeli raid that freed most hostages.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Dora Bloch, a British hostage who was hospitalised in Kampala at the time of the Israeli raid, was killed by Ugandan forces in what sources describe as retaliation following the rescue operation.

State of the evidence

Documented

The expulsion was accompanied by the confiscation of thousands of businesses, factories, farms and private assets. Human Rights Watch cites 5,655 businesses, factories and farms, as well as approximately $400 million in personal property affected.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Amin nationalised British companies as part of a nationalist economic policy and rapidly deteriorating relations with London.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated

Amin established the State Research Bureau and Public Safety Unit, among other agencies, which reported directly to him. Together with the military police, these organisations were associated with approximately 10,000 deaths during the regime's first year, according to Human Rights Watch.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility

Benedicto Kiwanuka, Chief Justice and former Prime Minister, was abducted and killed under Amin's regime. He became a symbol of the elimination of independent or critical public figures.

State of the evidence

Documented

Amin ordered residents of Asian origin, including numerous citizens and long-term residents, to leave Uganda within a very short period. Human Rights Watch reports approximately 70,000 people expelled.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following a rapid deterioration in relations with Israel, Amin ordered Israelis to leave Uganda and moved his regime closer to Muammar Gaddafi's Libya and other actors hostile to Israel.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Directly implicated

Idi Amin took advantage of President Milton Obote's absence to seize power through a military coup and establish military rule.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Amin ordered Acholi and Langi soldiers to return to barracks, after which his regime brutally eliminated numerous officers and soldiers from these groups, which had previously dominated the army.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Command responsibility